Wisps of Smoke
by kendraDrake
Summary: Remy LeBeau has many secrets. Though the X-Men think they know about his past, no one knows the most painful part of his life-the part he walked away from years ago. Now he's forced to unexpectedly deal with ghosts he never imagined facing again. (AU: Takes the story in a completely new direction concerning Gambit and Jubilee's past). R&R please
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, but the OCs did come from my own little brain. I have no expectations to profit from this story and am purely putting it out there for other people's enjoyment.

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Chapter 1:

Gambit kicked back in his chair aboard the Blackbird, chuckling to himself as he listened to Jubilee prattle on about all of the different locations she'd like to visit on this her first "European vacation." He didn't have the heart to remind her that they were here to work, not play. It didn't seem that Wolverine had the same qualms.

"Forget it, kid. We aren't going to have any time for side trips. You know the professor sent us here for a reason, and you can bet it ain't to visit historical landmarks."

"Ohh, Wolverine! You are such a spoilsport," she whined from her position lounging sideways in her chair. With a grin, she hopped up over the arm to slide into the seat next to him. "Just one little castle? Or an ancient ruin? Oh! Or we could climb to the top of one of those old round towers?"

Wolverine growled his annoyance, which was ruined when he ruffled her hair and mumbled, "We'll see, but only if you keep quiet the rest of the trip."

Gambit turned his gaze away from them to look out the window. In the distance, he could see the small island off the coast of Ireland beginning to come into view. It certainly wasn't his first trip to Europe, but he felt an undercurrent of nervous tension. If Professor X hadn't specifically asked him to lead this mission, he would have stayed back in the US. Apparently, an old colleague of his ran a school similar to their own, and it seemed there were more kids around than experienced adults. Considering that the school seemed to have seriously ruffled someone's feathers recently, they needed some extra help with security for a few months. His biggest question was who his mysterious "friend" was. He couldn't remember anyone from his past that would be connected with a school named Ballenger Academy. The professor had refused to say anything more.

Frowning, he idly shuffled a deck of cards. Something was bothering him. He tried to blame it on the fact that any trip overseas seemed to cause old memories to surface—whether he wanted them to or not. But he kept feeling like there was something he was missing. He glanced around the cabin again. By this time, Jubilee was scrolling through her iPod while Wolverine was staring moodily out the window. Jean Grey was thumbing through some kind of good housekeeping-type magazine while Cyclops dozed in the seat next to her. Storm was in the cockpit on her own. His gaze returned full circle, resting on Jubilee. He shook his head, trying to shake off the nerves. Taking a deep breath, he had to consciously relax his muscles as memories of inky black hair and ice blue eyes tried to fight their way into the forefront of his mind.

In the cockpit:

Storm frowned as she watched the Blackbird's gauges. Somehow, they were slowing down, yet they weren't losing altitude. It wasn't a sudden shift in speed; in fact, she didn't _feel _like they were slowing, but the controls clearly showed that they were. She glanced over her shoulder at Gambit, Jubilee, Wolverine, Jean, and Cyclops.

"Jean," she called back. "Could you come up here for a moment?"

Jean looked up from the magazine she was reading. She smiled at Storm and stood up, leaving Cyclops softly snoring in his seat. As she made her way forward to sit down in the seat next to Storm, she asked, "What is it, Ororo?"

Storm shook her head and gestured to the controls. "I am not sure. We are slowing down to a speed that should no longer have us airborne. I'm not sure what's—" She broke off as their view was suddenly cut off by thick clouds. "We've stopped moving. Can you sense anyone out there?"

Jean frowned, and tried to ignore the surprised shouts coming from the cabin as the others realized that they were stationary. She closed her eyes, reaching into the darkness with her mind. It took her only a moment to make contact. "Yes," she whispered to Storm. "There is someone out there, and it seems that she's put some sort of force field up that's keeping us from moving forward."

Jean opened her eyes to look at Storm, then over her shoulder at the others who were crowded behind them. Frowning, she explained, "She wasn't expecting us. She's going to hold us here until she verifies that we are supposed to be here. She seemed troubled when I told her who we were."

Cyclops stepped forward to rest a hand on her shoulder. "That's odd, but I know the professor wouldn't send us here uninvited."

Jubilee clapped her hands excitedly. "Finally! I get to be along when something weird happens! I normally miss out on all the fun!"

Storm, Jean, and Cyclops smiled fondly with slight shakes of their heads and Wolverine just rolled his eyes, but Gambit's brow was furrowed as he considered the situation. His sense of unease only seemed to be magnified.

Storm warned her, "This could just be a simple communication error, Jubilee. It may be nothing to get excited about." Suddenly, the Blackbird began to fall, almost as if gravity suddenly remembered that a giant piece of metal shouldn't be suspended motionless in the sky. Each grasped for whatever was closest to them to hang on to as the plane jerked to a stop once more.

"It's someone else now," Jean explained. "She doesn't seem to be able to control us as well, but she's going to take us down."

At Ballenger Academy:

"How could you, Laurel? How could you invite them here without even telling me?" Jaleena shrieked as she pushed open the door to her best friend's office. "The X-Men? Seriously? Could you find no one else to help us?"

Laurel Kellogg, often referred to by her codename, Ore, looked up from her computer. She took a deep breath. She was headmistress of Ballenger Acadmy, a school for gifted children, and she could fearlessly face a room full of angry, confused, and arguably unstable teens, but this was one argument she didn't want to face. She'd been expecting it of course. Slowly exhaling, she leaned back in her chair and carefully closed the lid of her laptop as her friend ranted and paced in front of her desk. She ignored most of what was being said. Ore and Jaleena had been like sisters since they were children. She knew Leena would calm down and come to the point sooner or later, and hopefully, Ore could get out of the office before the full truth came out and the fireworks really started. Slowly, hoping her friend wouldn't notice, she inched her chair back from the desk.

"There I am, maintaining the perimeter just like any night and this jet just shows up, headed right for us! What do you think ran through my mind? 'They've found us!' I think. 'We're not ready yet!' I panic!" Jaleena threw her hands up in the air as she spun back to the desk. "Then I find out that it's help—help from the only source I don't want—" She abruptly stopped talking when she noticed the chair was vacant. She spun back to the door that Ore had almost reached. "Laurel! Where are you going? I am in no way finished talking to you about this!"

Ore held both hands out in front of her. The situation really would be comical if it weren't about to end so badly, she thought. "Now, Leena. We have guests. You know I have to be out ready to greet them." She took another step toward the door.

Jaleena's eyes narrowed. "WHO are the guests, Laurel? WHICH X-Men did you invite here?"

Ore smiled weakly as her hand grasped the doorknob. "I guess you'll have to wait and see," she said as she stepped outside and slammed the door closed. She immediately slapped her hand on the metal door jam and watched as the metal melted into the cracks, effectively fusing door to frame to seal the portal shut. It wouldn't hold her friend for long, but it would give her a little bit of time. She turned on her heel and quickly walked away from the angry shrieks and thumps coming as her friend pounded on the door. She'd pay for it later, but in the long run, it might be worth it.

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**Author's Note: I know this starts out a little slow, but it picks up notably (especially around Chapter 3 and 4), so please keep reading! Reviews and PMs are always welcome, so please let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Ore walked into the central meeting room which was already crowded with students. Most likely, they had been drawn by rumors of company (and likely by the angry shrieks of one of their teachers). She watched as a few of the other instructors made their way into the room, looking curiously between her and the large window that showed their visitors deplaning. Nothing spread through a small school like juicy gossip.

Seeing the curiosity and confusion on the faces of the people she considered her family, Ore did feel a small twinge of guilt. She hadn't really told anyone about the visitors. She tried very hard to be a good leader to her team and to take everyone's input into consideration, but some things had gone on long enough, especially this feeling of impending doom, and they needed help. As she watched an auburn-haired man step onto the asphalt, his brown coat swirling around him, she couldn't think of a better person to help fight this particular enemy.

The doors flew open as one of the students, Keesha, skipped into the room, her beaded braids clacking against her shoulders. She was about fifteen, wearing a bright striped dress that hung from just one shoulder setting off her dark, coffee colored skin. It was obvious from the way she carried herself that she was proud of herself for successfully setting down the plane. She had been arguing for months that she was ready to take on more responsibility, and it seemed like she was finally getting some opportunities to prove herself.

One by one, the newcomers followed. Laurel froze in mid-step as she moved forward to greet them. She stared in shock at the dark-haired girl who walked in just before Remy LeBeau. Laurel's eyes blinked rapidly, taking in the hair so dark it showed traces of midnight blue and the blue, almond-shaped eyes that eagerly surveyed the room. She chattered excitedly to the man walking next to her. Laurel's mouth suddenly felt very, very dry. Jaleena just might be even more upset with her than she originally had estimated. Yes, there was going to be hell to pay.

Ore's nervousness increased when Gambit's eyes landed on her, widened in surprise, and then narrowed. He said nothing, but simply stared at her, waiting for her to make the next move. Trying again to swallow, Ore pasted a fake smile on her face and looked at anyone except him. She walked forward to the others, pointedly going toward the woman in white who stood furthest from Gambit and the dark-haired girl in the bright yellow coat.

"Hello and welcome!" She could feel the skin of her face stretching in a too-tight grin. "I'm so sorry for the confusion as you were coming in. Just a little mix-up on our end. I'm glad that you've made it safely. I'm Ore, the Headmistress here. We're very grateful that you were willing to travel so far to assist us."

"We are happy to be able to help. I am Storm, and this is Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine, Jubilee, and Gambit. Professor Xavier said—" The woman, Storm, stopped speaking as a loud explosion sounded from one wing of the building. She looked slightly alarmed, but the students all started laughing as Jaleena's angry voice echoed down the hall. Storm looked curiously at Ore, who bit her bottom lip and nervously glanced at Gambit, who had turned as white as a sheet and had one hand resting on the wall for balance. After casting one quick, accusing glance at Laurel, his stared at the door where the noise originated, his jaw clenched.

Ore turned around just as her best friend stomped into the room, her long, blue-black hair streaming behind her and tangling in the fringes of her white cape. She glared at Ore, then shifted her gaze to their guests. Laurel could pinpoint the exact moment when she saw Remy because her pale blue eyes looked surprised, guilty, and anguished all at once. Ore began to rush forward a moment later when Jaleena's gaze shifted slightly to the left and her eyes widened in shock, then rolled back into her head as she collapsed, rather ungracefully, to the floor.

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Pandemonium erupted in the room. People shouted and jumped up from their seats. Gambit didn't move, just stared at the crumpled form of the woman on the floor. He watched as his team gathered around to help, and a broad shouldered, sandy-haired man pushed his way through to lift her into his arms.

He clenched his fists to keep from taking a single step forward. He could feel energy pulsing through him, struggling for some sort of release. He gritted his teeth, forcing his breath in and out. This couldn't be real. If Laurel weren't there…. If the woman wouldn't have reacted that way when seeing him, when seeing Jubilee…. If. If. If. He shook his head and straightened from the wall. He was now either living a dream come true or a complete nightmare. Honestly, he wasn't sure how long it would take him to decide which it was. He watched as the man, accompanied by several anxious teenagers, moved toward one of the couches in the room.

Amid the confusion, he turned to see Ore simply standing there, looking guilty and unsure. She had changed a lot since he'd seen her last. She looked older, healthier. When they had last parted…

_Remy stood in the rain, trying to smoke a cigarette that was slowly becoming as drenched as he was. He stared sightlessly as the white paper on the cigarette slowly turned gray as it dampened. Why hadn't she waited? He barely noticed the trickles of cold rain that slithered down the collar of his jean jacket. Why hadn't she told him? He took another soggy drag, inhaling the nicotine as if it were a lifeline. _

_Laurel stood in front of him wringing her hands, sniffing every few moments. She was as skinny as a rail, looking almost undernourished. Her hair was at least four different colors, each color a different length that normally looked more stylish than haphazard but now hung limply around her face in sodden clumps. Her hazel eyes were full of tears; her cheeks streaked with running mascara. Idly, he wondered if the black paths were from the tears or the rain. _

"_I'm so sorry, Remy," Laurel hiccupped. "I know it's so soon after…, but Leena... She's gone. She went after them, Remy… and… and she didn't make it back... She asked me not to tell you unless she didn't come back by tonight." _

Gritting his teeth, Gambit tried to shake off the memory. _That had been the day Ore had come to tell him his wife was dead._ Now her hair was light brown and slicked back away from her face into a ponytail. She wore little make up, and her body had filled out to with muscle. She wore a bronze colored body suit with large brown leather patches covering her breasts, hips, knees, and forearms, and a pair of sturdy brown, low heeled boots.

As the group surrounding Jaleena migrated toward one side of the room, Ore slowly walked toward him. "Remy, " she said in a breathy voice, "It's been a long time. Listen, I'm sorry. I—"

He shook his head at her and reached out to grasp her arm, cutting her off in mid-sentence. He growled, "Outside. Now." With a jerk on her arm, he half-dragged her out the door. Since everyone was focused on trying to rouse Jaleena, no one really noticed when they disappeared.

Once they were outside in the chilly twilight, he finally released her and stepped away. "Remy," she began again. "I'm glad you're here, and I'm so sorry you had to find out like this. I didn't know how to…It wasn't like I could just call you on the phone to say…." Her voice trailed off.

"Dat my dead wife was actually NOT dead?" His voice was flat, icy, and completely unforgiving. He pinned her with his black eyes set off by blood red pupils. "'Cause if you tell me dat wasn't Jaleena…."

When she said nothing, only continued to bite her lip and stare at him, he turned away in frustration. He pulled out a cigarette from within a silver case that had a large spade across the front of it (a case Ore had once made for him, he noted ironically) and had to concentrate hard on getting lighting it properly. It was difficult not to charge every item he touched with kinetic energy; he felt like he wasn't quite in control of his body or powers. With shaking hands, he took a long drag to steady himself, just concentrating on inhaling, and then exhaling. After a few moments, he looked over his shoulder at her, pinning her with his gaze. "I don't got all night, so you better start talkin', chere."


	3. Chapter 3

The next few chapters will be a bit flash-back heavy, but I found this was the easiest way to tell the background story. To see more back story, check out my other fic: "Just a Spark." Please continue to give feedback! I'm always happy to see that someone is actually reading. :)

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Chapter 3

Jaleena slowly opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. She was in her own room. She knew that by the glowing stars spread out across the ceiling spelling her name. It had been a lesson in writing she and Keesha worked on during a rainy Sunday afternoon. Leena had held her aloft with her powers while the girl, then only 6 years old, had giggled and crowed different words each letter would spell out. She sighed at the memory, and noticed something different, something out of place, about the room. The smell.

Smoke. It wasn't the normal acrid smell of cigarettes purchased at any convenience store, rather it had a uniqueness to it. Tobacco tempered by the sweetness of cherries, the tang of citrus, and the spiciness of cloves. She took another deep breath, knowing the smell and also knowing it would only be coming from a hand-rolled cigarette. She was familiar with the blend, and she remembered sitting in a sun-drenched room as she helped to mix the different packets of flavored tobacco together to get just the right taste and scent. It was odd that it should seem so familiar after such a long time. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I know you awake, Jaleena."

Her breath caught in the back of her through at the sound of the voice. It was low and clear, the words made more exotic by his Cajun drawl. She still didn't move, but she did open her eyes. She drew in a few deep breaths and slowly exhaled, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Somehow, after all this time, the scent was still calming and it helped her settle herself. Turning to face him would be one of the hardest things she'd done in her life. Well, it seemed like many of the hardest things she'd had to live through were revisiting her presently. Rolling her head to the side slowly, she settled her gaze on him.

She must have been out for a few hours, because he looked like he'd made himself comfortable lounging on the chaise that rested on the other side of the bed. The ashtray next to him had several butts ground out in it, and his long brown duster was flung over the back of one of the other chairs. His boots lay on the floor. Taking another deep breath she raised her gaze, noting his bare feet. One leg was stretched out, the other bent at the knee to create a comfortable resting place for his elbow. A cigarette dangled from his hand, leaving ribbons of smoke to circle up to the ceiling. The black, pink, and blue armored spandex clung to his body, showing that he had added a lot of muscle mass since she'd seen him last. He was a far cry from the lanky teen she had married. A long, thick auburn ponytail of hair hung over his shoulder and across his chest. Another deep breath gave her the strength to raise her gaze even higher, up the column of his throat to the unshaven jaw that was broad and angular, the defined cheekbones, and his eyes. You would think eyes like his, solid black with red pupils, would have difficulty expressing emotions, but she could remember them displaying a range of emotions from sparkling with laughter to shining with tears. Now they were hard and flat, hinting at none of his emotions.

Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, swinging her legs over the side of the bed so that she faced him. Shaking her bangs from her eyes, she wet her lips. What did you say to a man when you had let him think you'd been dead for the last fifteen years?

"We don't smoke on school grounds. It sets a bad example for the students."

He simply raised an eyebrow at her and took another long pull from the cigarette. Her eyes followed the cigarette to his lips. Now those she remembered: the bottom lip full, the top with a slight bow that masked the fact that it was too thin. She blinked rapidly and lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. The eyebrow raised again, and his lips formed an O as he exhaled pointedly in her direction.

She took another deep breath. _Geez, Leena,_ she thought, _You speak to the man for the first time in years, and you choose to chastise him?_ Okay. There had to be a better way to start. Clearing her throat, she asked, "How are you?"

For a few minutes, he said nothing, only took another drag of his cigarette. The silence grated on her nerves, causing her to spring up from the bed and take a few long strides across the room. She felt trapped in the small confines with him, but pacing at least acted as a release for all of the nervous energy building up within her. "I imagine you're surprised, maybe a bit angry."

He ground out the cigarette in the ashtray and then leaned back, placing both hands behind his head. He looked perfectly relaxed, but his words betrayed him, "A bit? Dat may be _a bit_ of an understatement, chere. I mean, I been tinkin' all dis time dat you was dead."

Jaleena stopped pacing to look at him. "I'm sorry, Remy. Really." She frowned. "It was for the best. I did it for you and—"Now it was his turn to leap to his feet, surprising her enough to cut her off.

In two steps he stood in front of her, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body, a clear sign that he was more than a little angry. He stood so close that she had to lift her chin to meet his angry gaze even though he was only two inches taller than her. "Don't you dare." He ground out, "Don't you dare tell me dat you was justified. Don't try to say dat you thought about anybody else." He lifted his hands to grasp her by the upper arms, gripping so tightly it hurt. "_You_ made da decision. _You _decided to leave me alone to handle tings, to take care of Jubilee on mah own." He gave her a shake with every accusation, the red in his eyes seemed to flare as he alternately pulled her toward him and pushed her away. "_You_ was da one to abandon your family, Leena. _You did dis_."

She opened her mouth but only a strangled sound came out, which was quickly cut off when his mouth came crushing down on hers.

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Gambit couldn't believe that she tasted the same—like mint and chocolate, a result of her love for peppermint candies. Her body, however felt much different pressed against his. She was more muscular now, and her body refused to yield against his with the absence of the soft curves she'd had as a teen. It was just another reminder of how much things had changed, so he kissed her harder with none of the gentleness and care that used to characterize their embraces when they were young and in love. Jaleena had stood frozen for only a moment, likely shocked by the change in events. But it wasn't long before she was kissing him back, her hands lifting to sink into his hair and tangle in the shaggy locks around his face. It had been so long. She seemed to be just as caught up in sudden passion as he was. At least that's what he thought until he went flying across the room and was pinned against the wall to hang two feet above the floor.

Jaleena was bent over, gasping for breath, one hand resting on a thigh to hold her up, the other one outstretched, holding him there with a cushion of thick air. "Damnit, Remy! Why do you always do this? You only seem to be able to figure out one outlet for anger, and look where that's got us in the past? A pair of kids when we were still kids ourselves!" She straightened to her full height, though she still seemed to be struggling for breath. Her cheeks were flushed as she lifted her free hand to shakily push the hair out of her face. He said nothing in response for the very simple fact that she wouldn't let him, her ability to control air around him making it so thick around his body that he couldn't move to do anything except breathe. It seemed she'd learned a few tricks about what to do with her power since he'd last seen her. She had had no where near this kind of control then. But he could glare from his frozen position, so he did. He also used the time to really look at her.

Her dark hair was as long as it had always been, hanging in waves and curls just past her waist. She had lost a considerable amount of weight; as a youth, she had been heavier than any of them as a result of having found refuge for a short time in a home that gave her more to eat than she had needed. Now her body was angular and muscular rather than being lushly rounded at her hips and breasts. Her face also seemed harder, the roundness having melted away to leave her cheekbones to stand out sharply. Her brows seemed to be perpetually drawn together, leaving slight worry lines between her eyes. She wore silver body armor off set with white panels covering her from neck to mid-thigh that made her skin appear almost olive colored. Matching white fringed boots and cape lay across the foot of the bed. Her almond-shaped ice-blue eyes, so light they almost seemed white, blinked up at him as she struggled to regain her composure. Now she stomped over to the table where his cigarettes rested.

Her fingers stroked the cover, and they both remembered the birthday celebration (he had been turning just 17) when she and Ore had saved up to get the materials to make him such a fancy case. It had been about the same time he'd finally given in to the tobacco blend he still favored. She flipped it over to look at the back and traced the J and R twined together in the bottom right corner. She seemed to shake off the brief memory and opened the case to pull out one of his cigarettes. He remembered she only had smoked on certain occasions: when she was frustrated or upset and right after sex. He would have laughed if he could have as she lit one to take a long drag, coughing just a little on the first puff. So much for setting a good example for the students.

She pointed one red-tipped finger at him. "You are going to listen to me before anything else happens, and apparently this is the only way to get you to shut up and keep your hands to yourself." She began to pace again, apparently one habit she hadn't overcome during their separation. "I'm assuming you talked to Laurel?" Gambit just glowered in response.

Jaleena tossed her thick, curly hair over her shoulder and paused to take a hit from the cigarette. She still choked, but it seemed to go down a bit more smoothly this time. "I'm sure you have. I know she instigated all of this." She tossed him a glance, "Without my knowledge mind you." She resumed pacing. "Believe it or not, I was just as shocked to see you as you were to see me."

Gambit managed to snort at that, which only distracted her for a moment before she resumed speaking. "You can't blame her, you know. She did what I asked when she told you I'd gone. It took me two months to get home, and by that time you'd left to go back to the states."

She stopped pacing in front of him after a few more moments, her eyes haunted as they looked up at him. "They weren't after you, Remy, and when they killed Harry—that was my fault, not yours." When she lifted her hand to touch his cheek, he tried uselessly to move, to speak, to stop her from taking responsibility for one of the most horrifying moments of his life.

_The two of them laughed together as they walked down the street. Remy carried their 20-month-old daughter in his arms, her dark head cradled against his shoulder. Jaleena carried the diaper bag slung over one shoulder and a brown paper grocery bag filled with a few last minute items for dinner: milk, some cheese, and a long baguette of fresh French bread. _

_They were both in their late teens; Remy was 19 and Leena would turn the same age in just a month. He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans, a black tee shirt, and a jean jacket. Jaleena wore a sunny yellow sundress dotted with small white flowers. She smiled up at him and pushed her hot pink sunglasses onto the top her of her head. One side of her face still sported a fading bruise, but bruises were common in their lives, and he didn't feel that it detracted from her beauty. She ducked into their apartment building ahead of him and started climbing the stairs to their third floor flat._

_He bounced the child in his arms, causing her to giggle. It had been a relief when the doctor had given her a clean bill of health. She had run a fever for several days, and it had only broke that morning. As he ran his fingers through her short black curls and climbed the stairs, he hoped that she'd have a normal life that wasn't as complicated as their own had been thus far. Now that they were parents, he and Jaleena had been talking a lot about how to extricate themselves from their current lifestyle: surviving by fighting alongside a small group of mutants and stealing what they needed to survive on the side. It was no way to raise children. They needed to get real jobs, so Remy had gotten a job bagging groceries and had gotten a lead on some construction work. Jaleena had an interview with one of the retirement communities just outside of the city at the beginning of the following week. She hoped to work the night shift there as an orderly. Moving into their own apartment had been one of the first steps they'd made to really start their own lives. While they missed living with their friends, it was nice to feel like they were finally starting a family of their own._

_Jaleena turned to pass the bag of groceries to him while she dug the keys to their apartment out of the diaper bag. As she went to insert the key in the lock, she froze, noticing that the door wasn't latched. She looked over her shoulder at him." Something's wrong," she whispered._

_Remy moved as if to pass the child to her, but she shook her head. "You'd need your hands, but I don't. If someone is in there waiting to ambush us, I'll be able to defend myself better. Take Jubilee outside, and I'll go in." _

_Remy was frustrated, but he didn't argue. Her powers would be more of an advantage in the tight confines of their tiny apartment. She could easily blow them out of her way with a large gust of wind while he'd only have small projectiles. Yet he didn't go far, dropping the bag of groceries and backing away from the door. He reached into his pocket to pull out a few cards, holding them at the ready while protectively cradling the child close to his chest. Jaleena only glanced over her shoulder once before she pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into the hallway of their living space. _

_The tense moments while he waited seemed to take forever. When she screamed, it was a high pitched wail that made him shudder and caused the baby to begin to cry. She continued to scream, and Remy rushed into the apartment. He stumbled once when he came across the bloody body of their elderly neighbor Rose who often babysat for them. Once he regained his footing, he continued forward into the living room where Jaleena stood, still screaming. There was more blood. It was everywhere. It was splattered on the walls, it covered most of the floor, it was dripping from the edge of the coffee table, and it covered the front of Jaleena's dress and slid down her arms from what used to be a pale blue onesie with the letter H embroidered on the front of it. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

While Gambit remembered the moment they had discovered the death of their son, Jaleena was reliving a different memory, the one that placed her squarely to blame for what had happened.

"_Get movin' Girl! They're right behind us!" Starfire yelled from right behind her. Jaleena took only a minute to glance over her shoulder and send a concentrated gust of air backwards in the alley toward their attackers. It did little to slow them, so she focused on trying to keep hold of her bag and keep up with the rest of the group. Bonesetter was in the lead, which seemed unlikely due to his bulky and muscular frame, but he somehow seemed to move faster than that much mass should be able to. Laurel was right behind him, her tennis shoes slapping against the ground. Jaleena had no idea where Remy, Crake, and Violet were as they'd split off from the group blocks ago. _

_Starfire leaped ahead of her, her yellowish-orange lion's tail waving behind her like a flag. "We have to climb!" The cat-woman yelled. "We're going to hit a dead end soon!" Bonesetter reached back to grab Laurel's hand and leaped forward to grab the rung of a fire escape. He pulled both of them up easily, and StarFire was quick on their heels, leaping easily from one platform to the next. _

_Jaleena swore and tried to concentrate while running. She had far from mastered her powers, and flying was one of the hardest things to do. She tried to imagine the air beneath her shooting her upward. Luckily, it worked. Unluckily, she also lost her hold on the heavy bag with the money they'd taken, causing her to twist in midair in an attempt to grab it, and she end up flopping back on the ground. She could hear the alarmed cries of the others, but it was too late. Blackwood, one of their three pursuers, was upon her. _

_He landed heavily on top of her, each gnarled hand pressing her down onto the cracked asphalt. She cried out in pain as he dislocated one of her shoulders when he landed on her, but he only laughed. "I thought we told you kids to stay out of our territory!" Blackwood was only one of a large band of mutants who managed to control assets in the wealthier sections of Paris. His skin was dark and rough, resembling the bark of a tree, and his brown eyes smiled cruelly down at her. "I guess it's time you learned your lesson, eh?"_

_A couple of his lackeys laughed from just out of her view."Not that it'll be very hard," Blackwood continued. "You're the weakest one of the group, huh? But I guess getting rid of any of you sets a good example for the rest. And this time, I don't expect to see you walking away from this." He grinned cruelly and twisted her arm, causing her to cry out again. Leaning down he whispered, "Hope you kissed them kids of yours good-bye today." _

_Jaleena squeezed her eyes closed, thinking of her babies. No. She couldn't let this happen. She heard rather than felt the first blow to the side of her face. No. Jubilation. She took a deep breath, and her body was jolted by another harsh punch, this time to her abdomen. No. Harrison. No. She repeated in her mind, picturing each of her sweet babies. She had to make it through this. She tried to blow him off or her with blasts of air, but he only laughed. She felt as if her body were on fire, but it seemed to be unconnected to the damage Blackwood was inflicting. She focused on the energy and opened her eyes to stare into Blackwood's. No. She had to get home to her children. This had been their last job: the one that would give them enough money to get their own place. He was still laughing at her. She wanted him to stop. She felt her skin burn, and suddenly, he did stop. In mid guffaw, he seemed to choke. He reached a hand up to his throat and clawed at it. Within minutes, his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets as he rolled off of her, his face turning purple, and fell to the side, still trying desperately to breathe but strangely unable to draw in any air._

_The others ran off, frightened, as Jaleena lay there in horror, watching the man next to her slowly suffocate. It wasn't until he'd laid there motionless for a few minutes that she realized what had happened._

Jaleena stepped back, withdrawing her hand and her power. As Gambit's feet settled on the floor again, she turned to walk back to the bed and perched on the end of it, the cigarette forgotten in her hands. She stared down at it now, and her voice came out so softly, it was barely a whisper. "I killed Blackwood, so Onyx killed Harrison. He wasn't even three months old." She watched a tear splash onto her hand, onto the plain silver band she still wore. She didn't look up when Gambit knelt before her and took her hands into his own. He pulled the cigarette free and set it in the ash tray.

"Come now, chere, you can't take all of da blame. All of us play a part in dat heist. You wasn't de only one."

Jaleena shook her head vehemently. "But _I_ killed him, Remy. Not you. Not Laurel. Not StarFire. Not anyone else." She lifted her eyes to look at him and slowly uncurled her fingers until they were twined with his. "I went to see Onyx. Afterward, I mean. I wanted to end him as well. I wanted to protect us, to protect our family. We were supposed to be a family and to have a normal life." Her eyes pleaded with him. "You have to understand. He ruined everything, and I was so angry. I thought if I had been able to keep one person from breathing that I could do it again. I thought I was invincible."

More tears slipped down her cheeks, and he lifted one hand to wipe them away. She leaned her face into his caress without thinking. "I was so foolish. I failed of course. I couldn't do it. My powers—I couldn't control them. I couldn't win. He locked me up. I didn't know how long at the time. I guess it was for about a month. In the end, he made me a promise. He was bored with playing with me for now, but we weren't even, he said. Not even close. He said that as long as I lived, he was going to make my life hell and remind me of the mistake I made in crossing him. He wanted me to lose everything like he did when he lost his only brother."

Jaleena took a shaky breath and shook her head when he opened his mouth to speak. "I knew then how to protect my family. I had to leave. Onyx agreed, and he just looked so smug and satisfied. He said it was only fitting that I watch the two of you live your own lives knowing that I could never be a part of it—that that would be harder for me than if he killed you. He said you and Jubilee would be safe as long as I didn't— Oh no! She's here, Remy!" Jaleena leaped to her feet as she remembered the girl who had arrived with him. She turned to him, moaning, her hands tugging at her hair in her panic. "How could you bring her here?" She stepped forward to shake him. "He'll know! He'll hurt her. He'll hurt you!"

Gambit stepped forward to pull her into her arms. He ignored her when she beat at his chest in frustration. "Now, now, chere. Jubilee'll be jus' fine. Dat's why we here. Laurel told me you been havin' some problems with Onyx again, so it don't sound to me like he livin' up to his end a da bargain."

Jaleena shook her head back and forth. "No! You don't understand. This isn't about you two. You were safe! It doesn't matter what problems he causes me. I agreed to it so you could live. You need to leave. You need to take Jubilee and leave before he knows you're here!"

Gambit lifted his hand to capture her chin, effectively stopping her shaking head. "Non, non, ma petite. I ain't goin' anywhere. I got a score ta settle, and you ain't gonna be pushing me out of da picture dis time around. If you owe me anyting, it be letting me in on dis fight." He stared down into her eyes, watching a few more tears trickle from the corner, and his lips pressed together in a grim line. He thought about his life, past and present. He thought of Jubilee. His eyes slowly traced the hard lines of the face of the woman in his arms. "I owe Onyx fifteen years worth a misery, and I tink it be time ta pay up."


	5. Chapter 5

Taking a break from Remy and Leena to work on some other character development. I hope my portrayal of Jubilee doesn't fail to meet expectations!

Oh, and because writing a Cajun accent isn't hard enough, I've added a Scottish one as well. I never said I liked to make things easy! And with the island location (think of a small, undiscovered island somewhere along St. George's Channel), I know I'll have to get some British and Irish accents in as well. Bear with me and please review!

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Chapter 5:

Jubilee lounged in an armchair in the empty main room of Ballenger Academy. It was early, but she couldn't sleep. Yesterday's events had been too exciting. A trip overseas, a new school with tons of new people to meet, and an exotic stranger fainting upon their arrival—which was all somehow tied to Gambit since he'd disappeared with the Headmistress shortly thereafter and had never reappeared to rejoin the team. What was up with that? She yawned and propped her feet up on the edge of a coffee table and tapped the toes of her blue boots together. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

In front of her was a huge picture window showing a view of a sloping green lawn backset by the sparkling ocean. Tap. Tap. Tap. They were just supposed to be here to help with security, so she imagined she ought to have some time to herself to explore the island and maybe to have a quick jaunt to Ireland or England, since they were relatively close. Tap. Tap.

Speaking of exploring, she couldn't wait to see what was going on around this school. She was always excited to meet new people—especially new mutants. She glanced around the room, a bit disappointed that it was empty. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. She could remember hating her powers, but thanks to the Professor and the X Men, she thought about them a little differently now. Tap. Tap. Tap. Getting to meet other new people and learn about their abilities? Tap. Tap. It didn't get any better than that! Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Oh for the love of God! Would you quit making that annoying noise already?" Came a high pitched voice from behind her.

Jubilee almost slid out of the chair at the unexpected words. She looked around the room, but couldn't see anyone. "Who's there?" She asked, pushing her sunglasses back up onto her head from where they'd fallen crookedly on her face. She turned another circle. She still couldn't see anyone, but she could hear someone giggling. "Seriously!" Jubilee said. "Where are you?"

A girl slowly materialized in one of the arm chairs in the corner of the room. She was the pretty young girl who had helped them land the previous evening. Jubilee figured the girl was a year or two younger than her. Today she was wearing a bright yellow dress that contrasted beautifully against her dark skin. She was sucking on remnants of a lollipop and watching Jubilee with eyes that were a surprising shade of deep violet. She grinned around the wooden stick. "What?" She asked sassily, "Do you think you're the only one who gets up early?"

Jubilee flopped back down in her seat, ignoring the fact that it put her back to the girl. If the girl thought it was okay to spy, then Jubilee wasn't going to worry about being polite either. "I couldn't sleep," she grouched.

The chair gave a squeak as the girl got up and came over to sprawl on the couch across from Jubilee, throwing herself on her back and resting one foot on the top of the couch back. "Me either." She closed her eyes and there was silence for a few moments. The girl was skinny, and the foot hanging over the edge of the couch rocked back and forth, swinging her sandal by one toe. Jubilee said nothing, only continued to look at her. What were her powers anyway? How did controlling a plane connect to invisibility? The only other mutant she knew who could do a lot of different unrelated things was Rogue. Jubilee frowned and pulled her gloves out of her pocket to pull them on, then tugged her jacket over her bare legs. No use in tempting fate and getting her energy sucked. She pass on a coma today, thank you very much.

The girl opened her eyes. "You aren't leaving are ya?" Jubilee shook her head, and the girl closed her eyes again. "Good." Then she was quiet again.

"Why do you care if I go anywhere?" Jubilee asked after a few minutes to break the silence, and the girl shrugged, but her brow was furrowed, almost as if she didn't know how to phrase what she wanted to say. Jubilee sighed and leaned back, turning her attention now to the large window and watching the rising sun glint off of the water in the distance.

"Who is he?" The girl asked several minutes later. The sun had almost completely cleared the horizon at that point, creating a mirror image in the water below it.

"Who?" Jubilee asked, not moving her gaze from the sunrise.

The girl was sitting up now, her pretty features twisted into a frown. She leaned forward, her hands resting on her knees. "The man who came with you. The dude Leena freaked out about? He went off with Aunt Laurel—err, Ore. She took him to Leena's room, and he only just came out about an hour ago."

Jubilee sat up now, surprised. There was lots of gossip at the mansion about Gambit and his flirtations, but hewasn't known to skip around bedrooms or bring ladies home with him—at least not when the students were around. It wasn't like she thought he was a monk, but while he talked a good talk and flirted outrageously, he never really brought any action home with him. Besides, he was always flirting with Rogue, but they all knew that wasn't happening. "Gambit? Really?" She couldn't help but grin at the idea of Gambit doing the walk of shame on his first night at the school.

The girl sat back, "Gambit…hmmm." She shook her head. "Never heard of him, and I know everything about Leena. She's like a mom to me, so we don't keep secrets." She narrowed her eyes at Jubilee, then smiled a bit cheekily. Then, in a super sweet voice, "I'm Keesha. I was one of the first two students here."

Jubilee crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down further into the cushions of her chair. She mimicked the sweet as syrup voice. "I'm Jubilee. I'm one of the X Men. I'm here to help protect you _and_ your school."

Keesha seemed to shrug that off. "You seem awful young to be able to do much of anything."

Jubilee scowled. "Oh really? I bet I'm older than you. And, I wouldn't call throwing bursts of plasma around 'nothing'."

Keesha looked back at her, interested now. "Oh really? Show me."

Jubilee shook her head. "I don't wanna." She shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you've told me what your _real_ power is."

Keesha frowned. "What's that supposed to mean."

"Well, you've done two really different things. We have someone like you on our team." Keesha was leaning forward again, interested. "She absorbs people's powers—their life force, too. She can suck energy, fly, has super strength. She can do a ton of different things, but it's all because of her base power."

Keesha shook her head and flopped back down on the couch again. "No. It's different." There was another long period of silence that Jubilee was strangely becoming accustomed to. "I don't get to keep anything. I guess I'm kind of like a chameleon. I can touch someone and mimic their powers, but once I concentrate and touch someone else, that one is gone. It doesn't build up." More silence while the girl crunched the last of her candy. "It's hard. . . 'cause you get the power but don't really know what to do with it."

She pushed herself up on one arm, looking at Jubilee again. "So who is he really. Telling me his name doesn't tell me squat."

Jubilee shrugged again, pulling out a piece of chewing gum and popping it into her mouth. Yum. Cherry. "Shouldn't you know that if you're so close to 'Leena'? Maybe you should tell me who she is."

Keesha seemed to consider that for a moment. "Well, she's one of the most powerful mutants I know. She controls the air." When Jubilee only raised her eyebrow, unimpressed, Keesha's voice rose a pitch higher. "Seriously! Think about it. The air is like everything. She's the one who stopped your plane. With air. She's the one who held it up in the sky. With air. She can freeze people and keep them from breathing and affect their powers. _With air._" Jubilee was a bit more impressed. "She's our science teacher," Keesha explained, "She helps us all see how we can use our powers in different ways since it doesn't just come naturally to everyone. That's why I gotta be so smart. I need to know everything there is to know so I can use the powers I get."

Jubilee tilted her head to the side. "I guess that's kinda cool, but it doesn't explain how she knows Gambit."

Keesha's brow furrowed again. "I guess not." She flopped back down on the couch again, toying with the now-empty stick from the lollipop. "I wonder why she got so weirded out when she saw him."

"Now Miss Keesha, I would think ye would know better than tae waste yer time speculating on things that are none a yer business." A deep voice with a thick Scottish burr to it spoke from the doorway. Both girls looked over to see a tall man with way more muscles than should be legal. He looked like the Hulk, only more normal-human-sized, and not green, and he was fully clothed. Okay, so not so much like the Hulk after all. To Jubilee's delight, Wolverine walked in behind him, still in his uniform, but with the hood hanging down his back.

Keesha didn't seem to be bothered by the reprimand. She just rolled her eyes. "You know that it's what every other person in this school is talking about, Joe. So why shouldn't I?"

The two men stopped walking once they reached the two teens. His voice lowered just a bit. "Because ye know she wouldna want ye hearin' the answer from anyone but her. Ye need ta trust her, lass." This seemed to sober the younger girl, and she pressed her lips together. Jubilee could tell that Keesha wanted to say something else, but after glancing at Wolverine, she didn't.

Jubilee took the opportunity to turn to him. "What do you think, Wolvie? Do you know what's going on with Gambit? I haven't seen him since we landed."

He shook his head at her and grunted. "We'll have to wait, too." He stepped forward to nudge her booted foot with his own. "Me and Bonesetter are goin' on patrol. You want to come see how it's done?"

She squealed and jumped up, sliding her glasses down on her nose and giving him a toothy grin. "You betcha!"

Keesha jumped to her feet and threw her arms around one of Bonesetter's beefy arms. "Me, too! Me, too! Come on! I'm still cloaking Miriam, so no one will even know I'm there!"

And in an instant, Jubilee couldn't see her anymore, but apparently the large man could feel her, because he patted the seemingly empty air above his arm and nodded. "Ye better make certain yer ma knows yer comin' wi' us then." Keesha rematerialized long enough to grin at Jubilee before she rushed out the archway, yelling over her shoulder, "Don't leave without me!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

When Jaleena woke again, it was to the blaring sound of her alarm clock. She rolled over and slapped the snooze button, tugging the sheets up over her face and burying her face in the pillows. She was just exhausted, and she really didn't want to get up. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to decide whether the previous evening had been a dream. BANG! She sat straight up, clutching a pillow to her chest in surprise, when the door slammed open.

"Leena! Uncle Joe's taking me on patrol! No one will see me! It'll be—what's wrong with your face? I gotta go so they don't leave without me!" All of this was yelled at her before the door slammed shut again. Jaleena blinked sleepily, barely having time to register Keesha's excited face. Groaning, she flopped back down on the bed and rubbed at her eyes.

Well, at least that was one less thing she had to worry about today. Keesha out on her first patrol meant that she wouldn't be here hounding her with questions, and hopefully, it would serve as a distraction for a time. The girl had first come into their lives about a year after Jaleena had begun to settle into her new life—the life without her family. Laurel and Joe had stood by her, as had the rest of their small team. On one job where they'd tried to clean up a mess created by Onyx and his band, they'd found a dying woman who'd begged them to take in their daughter. They'd found Keesha, and Jaleena had found one small way to fill the emptiness that constantly tried to pull her into a depression. She'd realized later that her friends had planned things that way—always being too busy to help take care of the child to force her to take on the responsibility, to take interest in something.

When her alarm went off again minutes later, Jaleena sat up and turned it off completely. She might as well get up. If Bonesetter was out and about, that meant she could corner his wife and throttle her for creating the current mess. She looked over at the chaise lounge, noting that Gambit had re-fluffed the pillows and emptied and removed the ash tray when he left. She might have believed he had never been there, but the faint scent of sweet tobacco still hung in the air like a ghost. He'd left shortly after he'd told her he was staying to fight Onyx. He'd tucked her in as if she were a child, and had stroked the hair back on her forehead in a familiar way. She hadn't been able to keep her eyes open and had been asleep in moments. The combination of the familiar intimacy, the feeling of safety, and the emotional stress of the day had just been too much.

She went to her closet to pull out something to wear. She was off duty today, so she settled for a pair of jeans, a pair of beat-up brown cowboy boots, and a billowy pale blue shirt. She wasn't going to waste any time getting ready because the students would be up soon and expecting an update about what was going on. Ore would want to address them at breakfast and lay out the week's plans. Jaleena would not miss the opportunity to corner her alone. She skipped make up and slicked her hair back into a messy bun as she walked down the hall.

Knowing Ore would be in her office, Leena went straight there and walked in without bothering to knock. She swore beneath her breath when she saw that her best friend was not, in fact, alone. One of the X Men sat there; her red hair fell around her shoulders like a cloud, and her body was encased in a skin-tight yellow and blue uniform. When she turned to face her, Jaleena could see that the suit extended up her neck and framed her face, making her already beautiful features more breathtaking within the blue frame. She seemed to be instantly sympathetic upon seeing Jaleena, though there was a short-lived curve to her lips when she examined Leena's face.

Jaleena stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "Mistress Ore, I'd like to speak with you alone before breakfast, please." She said the words formally, her voice frosty.

Ore just let her face fall forward into her hands. "Just get on with it, Leena. I know you've been dying to rip me a new one since last night."

Jaleena raised one eyebrow and jerked her chin toward the redhead. "You'd like an audience for this? Fine, but I'm not sure I'd like to air my dirty laundry publically."

Ore didn't bother to look up. "She's a telepath, Leena. She knew everything the minute you walked into the room and the minute that Remy recognized you."

When Jaleena's gaze flew to the woman's, her eyes wide in shock, the woman stood. Again, the stranger smiled sympathetically and offered her hand. "My name is Jean. I'm so sorry that all of this happened to you. I can leave if you'd prefer."

Jaleena numbly took her hand and shook her head at the same time. "No. Uh. No, you might as well stay. You may be able to help answer some of my questions about my…about their lives…and about how we can keep them safe."

The woman smiled kindly, her eyes flickering to Jaleena's mouth for just a second before she sat back down. Jaleena took the chair beside her and began. "All right, Laurel. Come clean, I want to know why you thought you had any right to get the X Men involved in this. We have a lot of other allies we could have called in for this. What the hell were you thinking?"

Ore slowly raised her head, taking a deep breath as she did so. Upon getting a good look at her friend's face, she coughed on that breath and gaped for a moment. Then she fell back in her chair laughing.

Jaleena blinked in surprise, "What? What the hell is so funny?" Ore just kept laughing. "Laurel? What are you laughing at? This isn't in any way funny!"

Her friend shook her head, still braying like a donkey. She managed to gasp out, "Have a nice reunion with Remy?"

Jaleena frowned in puzzlement and looked at Jean. "She's not making any sense. Since you can read minds, maybe you can tell me what's so funny?"

Jean reddened a little, which looked surprisingly good on her even though she was a redhead. She lifted one hand to gesture at her own mouth. Jaleena blinked a few times as she tried to figure out what was going on. When she lifted her own hand to her lips, it clicked. She dove over the desk and pushed her friend's chair away. She jerked open the desk drawer to pull out the compact mirror that Ore always kept handy. Still sprawled halfway across the desk, she flipped it open to look at her face. She ground her teeth. Nice reunion indeed.

Ore continued laughing, almost falling out of her seat. She wheezed, "I forgot why he was always so clean shaven before!" She paused to laugh some more, "You've always had such damn sensitive skin!"

Jaleena groaned in frustration and pushed herself back to her seat. Even Jean was smiling now. Thanks to Gambit's unshaven face, her lips and the area around them were red and irritated. She covered her face with her hands. "It was only one kiss," she moaned through them.

Ore seemed to have been on the edge of finally calming down, but that just set her into a new fit of giggles. "One kiss, huh? Must have been one helluva kiss!"

Jaleena dropped her hands and scowled at her friend. She lifted a hand and manipulated the air surrounding her friend to roll Ore's chair back to its place at the desk, shoving it in perhaps just a bit harder than necessary. "And whose fault is it that there even was a kiss?" She exclaimed angrily.

Ore just grinned, not at all put in her place. "You're _very_ welcome," she winked. Then, when her friend didn't crack a smile, she cleared her throat, trying to regain control once more. She pushed the compact back across the desk toward Jaleena and also pulled a tube of lipstick from the drawer. "I'm not going to apologize, Leena. I haven't agreed with you since the beginning. That man loved you, and you loved him and that little girl. I won't apologize for bringing them back into your life."

Jaleena paused in the act of applying the powder to her face in an attempt to cover the irritated skin. "Them? By them, do you mean you knew he would bring Jubilation with him?" She stared at her friend in horror.

Ore immediately held up her hands. "You know better than that! I never would have put Jubilation in harm's way. I only told Charles that we needed Remy and any other help he could spare."

Jean nodded in agreement. "Jubilee wasn't supposed to come with us, but she managed to convince Logan to bring her along at the last minute." She smiled at Jaleena, "She thought this was her first trip overseas, and she was very excited."

Jaleena pressed her lips together, trying hard to fight the tightness in her chest. It was difficult to think of her daughter as a young woman and equally difficult knowing she didn't remember those first few years with her family. She blinked her eyes a few times and went back to applying the powder. "Who is Logan?"

Jean again looked sympathetic. "He goes by the codename Wolverine. He and Jubilee have a very close relationship. They rely on each other quite a bit."

Jaleena nodded, picking up the tube of lipstick. She didn't know how she felt about that considering that she'd never met the man. She would have to learn to adjust to these feelings. Jealousy? Or perhaps resentment? When Jean assured her, "He's one of the best, most honorable men I know," Jaleena realized that the woman felt her unease.

She nodded again and looked back at her best friend. "So why the X Men, Laurel? Why bring Remy into this when they were both safe and sound and oblivious?"

Ore smiled sympathetically. "You deserve happiness. I knew you'd be upset, but you've been punished enough and deserve to see your own family. I've watched you suffer all of these years. I've watched you refuse yourself any happiness. I know you still love him." When Jaleena first looked shocked, then extremely embarrassed, Ore cleared her throat, "Besides, even if that hadn't been a motivating factor, I know that there's only one other person on this planet who would like to see Onyx dead as much as you do." Ore's voice hardened, "Remy deserves his vengeance just as much as you do, Jaleena. You've kept it from him long enough."

Jaleena rubbed her forehead, knowing her friend was right, knowing she owed him that much even if it wasn't what she wanted for him. Life had been so much easier when he and their daughter had been safely on the other side of the ocean. When Laurel continued, her voice softened, "We've all grown up, Leena. We're not stupid teenagers anymore. We know how to control our powers; we know what we're getting into. Even more importantly, we have a school full of children who need us to protect them. I'd rather have the two people who have the most at stake here fighting side by side rather than being apart. Even though you're much more powerful now than you were fifteen years ago, I've never seen either of you stronger than when you were together. You were like one person. If we're going to end this, we need all the firepower we can get."

Jaleena met her friend's gaze squarely, and then looked at Jean, who nodded. She looked down into the tiny compact mirror and turned her face from side to side, deciding that if you didn't look at her too closely, she looked just about normal. She set the cosmetics back on the desk and turned her gaze to each woman.

"So," Jaleena said, lifting her chin, "Now we have to decide how we're going to handle this. I know having the X Men here is a great asset, so thank you, Jean, but it won't be long before Onyx knows Remy and Jubilation are here with me. He will relish the opportunity to retaliate to what he'll see as a breach of contract. Ladies, we need a plan, and we need to act quickly."


	7. Chapter 7

I figured since you've seen Leena's morning after, you might like to see Remy's, too!

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Chapter 7:

Gambit stood in the misty morning air, leaning against the railing of a second floor balcony with a hand-rolled dangling from his fingers. He had just watched the sun come up, its rays breaking through the mist, and as beautiful as it all was, he had other things on his mind. After he'd left Jaleena's room, he'd wandered and ended up here. He was sure Laurel had assigned him a room, but he'd never quite been shown where it was.

Turning his back on the view, he leaned against the railing and lifted the cig to his lips, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste before releasing the smoke from his lungs. He watched it dissolve into the mist and focused on the building before him. It was a large stucco-covered structure with a tiled roof. There were windows everywhere to let in the natural light. The deck was a large wooden structure covered by a few table and chair sets and some Adirondack chairs closer to the railing to allow people somewhere to sit and enjoy the view. To one side was a large built in grill that made him smile as he was struck by a memory.

_The room was dingy, but it was large. Wallpaper was peeling off in places, and the carpet had been ripped away in patches. Several mismatched and stained pieces of furniture were arranged around the room. They had found most of the house's furnishings left along the curb waiting to be taken away as garbage. But the condition didn't matter to them. It was their home, and they were proud of it. Seven mutant teenagers—all orphans in their own ways had banded together not only to live together, but to take care of each other, to be a family. Remy stretched one foot out to nudge StarFire, who was laying on her stomach writing something in a spiral notebook. _

"_What ya doin', Cat?" She glanced over her shoulder at him, tugging the book closer to her body. She wore a stained, plain maroon dress with a small hole cut out in the back for her tail, which flicked at him in an annoyed fashion. The length of the tail was covered in short orange-gold hairs with a blond tuft at the end. The blond hair matched that covering her head, which hung around her face in an untidy mess. She narrowed her lime green cat-like eyes at him, her pupils thin slits in the light of the sunny room. While her nose was cat shaped and seemed to be pressed into her face rather than sticking out like a human's, the rest of her face appeared fairly normal—she did have long whiskers and eyebrows, but she plucked those out regularly due to self consciousness. _

"_None of your damn business, Cajun." She tossed back at him, sneering the last word._

"_Leave her alone, Remy," Leena admonished from her spot next to him on the couch. "You know she hates being called that." She was painstakingly sniffing and mixing together different flavors of tobacco. She hated that he smoked, and when he'd refused to give it up, she'd insisted that he at least smoke something that smelled pleasant. She had been putting together different flavors for weeks, trying to find something they could both agree on. He didn't care what it tasted like as long as it had nicotine, but it was a lot more fun to tease her and pretend like he didn't like the ones she favored. He had had her sniffing and mixing for weeks, and he planned on continuing the game for at least a couple more._

_Violet danced into the room—literally danced, twirling as she went, her arms stretched wide and her gossamer wings bending and flowing after her. "It is SUCH a beautiful day! We should all be outside doing something. We should go to the park—maybe a picnic!" She had long, light blue hair pulled into a high ponytail atop her head and wore cut-off jean shorts and a flowered top that hung off one shoulder. Her feet were bare, showing her webbed toes._

_Bonesetter grunted from where he was sprawled on a couch, his eyes still closed. "Picnics. Hmph." Violet grinned and skipped over to him, using her wings to lift her until she settled on his chest. He opened one brown eye to peer at the face grinning closely into his own, then closed it again. His shaggy white-blond hair spread out on the ugly plaid of the sofa. He was probably the most kind and sensitive of all of the males, but he seemed to have the gruffest attitude. "I willna be goin' tae eat sandwiches at some silla tea party at the park. If yer goin' tae eat outside, ye need tae have meat. Lots of meat cooked over open flames. It's the only reason tae brave all them bugs and kids." He pretended to shudder, and they all laughed._

Gambit took another long drag of smoke and smiled to himself. It looked like Bonesetter had gotten his wish and could barbecue to his heart's content here—though it didn't look like he'd be able to get away from the kids. Gambit rubbed at his eyes and moved to sit in one of the chairs and stare up at the cloudy sky, watching the wisps of smoke travel up uninhibited.

The next thing he knew, the sound of ceramic clinking against glass drew his attention. He sat straight up in his seat, turning to see Storm settling into the chair on the other side of the table. She was dressed in slim black slacks, a soft tan poncho, and had golden accessories at ears, neck, and wrists. She crossed one foot over her knee, showing off matching golden gladiator sandals. She smiled at him kindly, tilting her head so that the ponytail of thick white hair slid over her shoulder. "Good morning, Gambit. I saw you out here and thought you could use some tea." She lifted her own cup to her lips, blowing at the steam before sipping.

"Thanks, chere." He murmured. He dropped the butt into an ashtray—funny, he wasn't sure how long he had been staring at the sky, because it had burned out at some point—and lifted the cup into his hands, cradling it and enjoying the feeling of warmth that seeped into his fingers. He hadn't noticed how cold he was. He glanced at Storm again, but she was simply holding her cup and looking out over the railing.

He was grateful. Of all of the X Men, she knew him perhaps the best, having been the one to introduce him to Charles Xavier in the first place. He knew she would be there for him in whatever way he needed and would never push him to talk about what was going on if he didn't want to. He took a sip, not caring much for the herbal blend but enjoying the warmth it provided. They sat in silence for a while, just listening to the distant sound of waves crashing and of birds chirping in the trees that surrounded the building.

A while later, he set the empty cup back on the table and opened his cigarette case, his fingers unknowingly tracing the designs on it for a few moments before he extracted and lit another cigarette. Leaning his head back against the chair, he sighed without realizing it.

"Remy, I will not push you, but if you need to talk, you know that I am here." Storm said softly, not looking at him, but keeping her white gaze leveled on the horizon.

He smiled to himself. "I know." There was more silence. "I don't know where to start."

Storm turned her head to look at him. "Who is she?"

He grinned again, inhaling and exhaling a plume of smoke again before he responded. "Well, I guess she's my wife." From the corner of his eye, he saw her jerk of surprise. "I know. I know. But she was de first one. De real one. I met her when I was 15 and was in Paris for de first time. Dat's how de headmistress know me. We all ran together." He turned the cig in his fingers and continued. "We had two babies." He couldn't bring himself to say any more, and he wished he hadn't drank the rest of the tea as his throat suddenly felt parched and made it difficult to swallow.

Storm let this sink in for a few moments, allowing him the time to compose himself. Then she carefully set her cup on the table. She seemed to be weighing the words of her next question carefully. "Are your children here with her?"

He laughed without humor. He pushed himself to stand and took a few steps forward to lean against the railing, not wanting to be able to see her when he shared the hardest part. "One of dem is here." He paused for a few moments, and she respected his silence. "De other died right before I left to go back to de US."

Storm paused for a few moments, and then stood beside him, resting one hand on his arm. "I am sorry, Remy."

He nodded and kept staring out at the ocean. "I dunno what to do, Ororo. Our daughter…She be here, but she don't know who we are. I never told her I was her daddy. She never met Leena either."

This time Storm's surprise didn't show, but she did stroke her fingers along the fabric of his coat sleeve before turning to face the sea again, folding her hands in front of her on the railing. "I can't imagine any child who would not be happy to know her parents. She will only be happy, Remy, especially when she realizes that you have been with her all of this time." When he looked up in surprise, she smiled at him and bent forward to rest her weight on the railing. "I have not known for very long—just a few weeks, and I was not sure."

"Why didn't you say anyting?" Gambit asked, completely shocked.

Storm only smiled, "I knew you would speak to me when you were ready for others to know. Tell me, have you ever seen Jubilee use her powers without her glasses on?" When Gambit shook his head, she smiled. "You should ask her to do it for you some time. You'll see that she shares a family trait when concentrating her powers." She lifted one manicured finger to tap the side of her eye, the golden bangles on her wrist making a pleasant chiming sound. "I'll admit there isn't much more resemblance between the two of you. She does seem to favor her mother."

He grinned. "She lucky in dat respect, eh?"

Almost as if they'd conjured her by speaking, he heard Jubilee's laugh ring out below them as a door slammed shut. Looking down, they watched her running out, yelling in front of her. "You can't have a race with someone if they can't see you! It isn't fair, Keesha! You could be cheating!" Not far behind them Bonesetter and Wolverine jogged at a more sedate pace.

He called down to them, "Wolverine, you keep a close eye on dem girls, you hear? It ain't safe for dem to be out here."

The two men paused and looked up at them. Before Wolverine could respond with a pithy comment, Bonesetter called up. "Ye think yer telling me something I dun already know, Remy LeBeau? Ye just sit there on yer arse as usual, and we'll take care of the real work." He thumped Wolverine hard on the back, and the two trotted off after the girls, Wolverine only sending one curious glance over his shoulder. Despite himself, Gambit smiled at the larger man's pithy retort.

Behind them, the door opened and Cyclops emerged. "You two, we need to get downstairs now. Jean says there's going to be a meeting."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

As Storm and Gambit stepped into the cafeteria, they were surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of children and breakfast. The cafeteria was crowded and noisy and carried the faint smell of bacon, citrus, and fried foods. There were about two dozen students in the room, ranging from elementary students to high schoolers. Many of them were still eating, while others had empty plates in front of them. They laughed, yelled, threw things at each other, and acted like any penned up group of children would while they waited to be called to attention. The only difference was that they were all mutants, some looking human while others sprouting antennae, fur, different skin tones, and a variety of other features that set them apart from "normal" society.

At the front of the room, Ore stood with her head bent in conversation with Jaleena and a few other faculty members. Gambit recognized two of them. Violet was there, but now her hair was every color of the rainbow, contained in a long braid that fell down her back. She wore a tight fitting white and black body suit. Her transparent wings seemed to flutter every few moments, hinting at her nervousness. StarFire was also there, standing just behind Jaleena. She looked bored, and when Gambit came in, she smiled hugely and waved an arm high in the air. Her blond hair was now cut short in a pixie cut, and she wore very little, just what appeared to be a one-piece bathing suit that was a deep bronze color. Her skin tone had darkened over time to be the same deep gold color of the fur that lined her tail and lower arms and legs. He was happy to say she'd grown out of plucking her whiskers, and they extended from just beside her nose and her eyebrows. He thought they gave her an almost regal quality. The third faculty member was a man Gambit didn't recognize and instantly didn't like, recalling that he was the one who had rushed to pick Jaleena up when she had fainted the previous evening. He had dirty blond hair cut short in the back, but kept long enough to be artfully messy on the top. He was tall and broad shouldered and wore jeans and a white button down shirt, several of the top buttons left undone to show off his tanned skin. Perhaps what Gambit liked the least was that he stood very close to Leena, with one hand caressing her shoulder.

After surveying the room, Storm and Gambit made their way to the front and took seats at a table with Jean and Cyclops. "It appears that Wolverine and Jubilee are maintaining security with a few of the locals," Storm explained as she sat. The couple nodded and Cyclops looked at Gambit with an eyebrow raised over his sunglasses. "How is it that you seem to know everyone here, Gambit? Couldn't you have told us a little more about what we were getting into on the way here."

Gambit glanced at him and tried to grin in a cocky manner, "I would have if I'd a known, mon ami." He winked at Jean and turned to face the front of the room again. He knew he wasn't fooling her, but he wasn't about to let Cyclops know just what a shock he'd had upon their arrival.

A shrill whistle cut through the air, and the students gradually quieted down. Ore stood with her hands on her hips at the front. Jaleena stood to her right, her arms crossed over her breasts. Pointedly, she looked over Gambit's head at the children, being careful not to make eye contact. The other three took seats with the X Men. Everyone looked grim.

"Children," Ore began, "We have some announcements today, some that I know will make many of you very happy." She paused as some clapping and whistling came from the older children. "Many of you know we've been concerned about your safety, and the X Men are here to help." Cheering broke out around the room, but Ore held her hands up to quiet them. "We are very grateful for their support, but there is another treat. You will all be traveling back with them to the US to stay at their school for a short time. Think of it as an exchange program." The room seemed to buzz as everyone began talking to each other.

Gambit turned in surprise to Cyclops. "What? We jus' gonna leave dem?"

It was Jean who spoke up. "No. Scott and I will take the children back to the school, but the rest of you will stay here to help." She looked straight into Gambit's eyes. "You'll stay until we're sure that everyone will be safe, and if you need more help, you only have to call."

He nodded, holding her gaze meaningfully, "You just make sure that _all_ of de children go back."

Jean nodded her understanding and looked away when one of the older boys in the back of the room stood up and began to speak. He was lanky, appearing to be only 17. He had black hair with red stripes in it and several piercings in his ears, eyebrow, and lower lip. "What if we don't want to go?" A small chorus of "Yeahs!" came from the other teenagers at his table. There were about four others, and they seemed to be the oldest students in the room.

Jaleena stepped forward, glowering at him. "You don't have a choice, Lee. Everyone is going. No exceptions."

He shook his head. "We know you're just sending us away while you do battle." He gestured at the X Men's table. "Even with them here, you're still outnumbered. We talked about it last night, and," he looked around the table, waiting for each of his friends to nod, "And we're not leaving. We're going to stay and fight with you."

Violet rose from her seat, real worry showing on her face. Her musical voice was strained, "Lee-love, you can't. You need to go over with them to protect the younger children. You all know we rely on you to do that."

His determination only wavered for a moment before he shook his head and directed his gaze back to Ore and Jaleena, refusing to look at Violet. "You know most of us are all in our final courses, and then we'd be free to stay or go. We're just making the choice a little bit early. We will stay, and we will fight." He looked back at Violet. "I'm sorry, Mama, but the kids will be fine with the X Men." He looked back at Ore. "We won't change our minds, and if you send us away, we'll just find our way back."

More conversation seemed to erupt from the tables, and Violet came forward, her entirely pale blue eyes pleading with Ore. She simply shook her head and murmured, "I'm sorry, Vi, but you know he's right. We need all the help we can get, and they are old enough to make up their own minds. It is their home, too."

Violet pressed her lips closed, and went back to her seat, her wings trembling in her upset. The man leaned forward to pat her shoulder, and StarFire scooted her chair closer to hold her hand, but none of them contradicted Ore.

Jaleena clapped her hands. "Okay everybody, quiet down!"

When the noise died down to just the occasional whisper, Ore continued. "You all have until lunch to pack your things and meet in the great room. If you have questions, see any of the adults here. They should be able to answer them. Now get to it!" She made shooing motions with her hands, and the room quickly cleared of everyone except the adults. Violet stood, and shook her head, still refusing to believe that her son would be remaining to fight. "I need to go help him pack," she whispered before turning and fleeing the room.

Ore, who seemed to have been holding her breath, let it out in a loud sigh. "All right. So that's where we are." She looked around at the remaining group. "Let me make introductions." She pointed at each individual in turn. "That was Violet who just left. Cyclops. Jean. Storm. Rem—err, Gambit. Jaleena. Raider. StarFire." At her name, Starfire pounced on Gambit, wrapping both arms and legs around him. It only knocked him back a step or two, and he chuckled and hugged her, doing his best to ruffly and displace as much hair and fur as possible.

"I've been waitin' to do that since you walked in the room, you stupid Cajun!" Ore and Leena just smiled, though the rest of the group looked a bit bewildered. StarFire nuzzled his neck, biting lightly. "Why the hell didn't you tell us you was comin? I think you just about scared the shit outta Leena, and you know I woulda had a great 'Welcome' present for you." She growled suggestively.

"Any day. Any time, chere," He promised with a wink before extricating himself from her and patting her rump as she sashayed her way back to Ore's side. StarFire licked her lips at Jaleena, who only rolled her eyes at her. Remy looked back at them as the smile faded from his face, "So what we need to do next?"

Ore looked at Jean. "Would you and StarFire mind going out to relieve Bonesetter and Wolverine? I think the girls need to come back in." Then she reached out to place a comforting arm on her friend's back. Jaleena smiled at her weakly. "We'll handle organizing our defense plans until we get the children out. Leena, I know you have your own business to attend to."

Jaleena nodded, and for the first time since he'd entered, she turned to meet Gambit's eyes. "I'll be upstairs on the balcony." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

Jaleena had only gotten part of the way up the stairs when Raider caught up with her, calling out her name. "Jaleena, Jal, wait! What's going on? We've barely had two minutes to ourselves. That stranger pushed me out of your room before you even woke up. If Laurel hadn't insisted, I never would have left him alone with you." She paused so that he could climb up to where she was. "What happened last night? Did he try anything untoward? I was very worried." He reached one hand up to stroke her cheek, and she moved a couple more steps up to be out of reach. He frowned, but he was more than used to her pulling away.

When she said nothing, he shook his head and frowned. Quietly, he asked, "So that's him?" When she nodded. "I thought you were never supposed to see him again."

Jaleena pressed her eyes closed tightly for a few seconds. "I wasn't. If I had my way, I wouldn't have. Laurel brought him here. I didn't know, and I wish she'd never called him."

Encouraged by the coldness in her voice, he took another few steps up the stairs to close the distance and rested his hand on top of hers on the railing. When she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip to hold it. She looked at him in annoyance. "He's here, so you could say good bye to him, Leena. You could let him go. Then you wouldn't have to punish yourself like this any longer. We could have a fresh start." He smiled charmingly up at her emotionless face. "We could have a chance."

"Let go of my hand, Bruce." She said the words coldly, effectively wiping the smile from his face. "I've tried to be nice about this, but you can't seem to accept the fact that I'm just not interested in you like that."

He took a step back, releasing her. "Jal, you can't mean that…"

Turning and walking up the stairs, she paused at the top step to look back at him. "I can, and I do. Goodnight, Bruce." With those words, she continued down the hallway.

A low whistle sounded from the bottom of the stairs. Bruce turned to watch the very man they were discussing start to climb the stairs. "Dat was rough," he drawled.

Raider scowled at him, hating that anyone had witnessed her brush him off—again. Jaleena had been turning him down for years, but he'd never given up. Just when he thought he was wearing her down, this guy showed up. "She's just upset. She'll come around. We have a lot of…history," Raider said, placing a great deal of suggestive emphasis on the last word.

Gambit chuckled, seemingly unbothered. "Den I feel bad for you, mon ami." He looked up to where Jaleena had disappeared. "Dat one knows how to break a man's heart." He grinned at Raider, "I wish you luck." With a jaunty salute, he continued up the stairs, seemlying undisturbed by the scene he had just witnessed.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry this one is so short, but tomorrow's chapter will give you what you've all been waiting for! Just be patient and leave me some reviews!

* * *

Chapter 9:

Jubilee sighed, tossing another rock in the air and then hitting it with a round of fireworks. Being on patrol was boorrriiinnnggg! She watched Wolverine prowl around, lifting his nose to the air to test for scents every so often. Keesha seemed to be just as bored, having grown tired of suddenly appearing in front of Jubilee and yelling "Boo!" at her. Bonesetter was just silent, his eyes scanning the area around them. Apparently this was normal, because it didn't seem to creep Keesha out at all that he was so still and silent.

"This isn't half as exciting as I thought it'd be," she whined to her new friend.

"You're telling me!" Keesha exclaimed, bending to pick up some stones to toss for Jubilee to zap. "We haven't been attacked in like a month, so I don't know what everyone's so freaked out about anyway." She tossed another stone. "We handled ourselves okay, too, so I don't know why Ore called you guys over."

Just as she was bending to reach for another stone, Wolverine growled. "Company's comin'."

Bonesetter was next to them in a surprisingly quick amount of time. He pointed at Keesha, "Disappear." Then he looked at Jubilee. "I dun care what happens, ye need tae stay behind me, lass, ye hear?" Jubilee nodded up, way up, at the man and felt an invisible arm slip into hers, which was followed by a chilling sensation running all over her body.

"It's not because I'm scared," Keesha's bodiless voice whispered. "I just think we should stick together." Jubilee nodded in response and leaned to the side to peak around Bonesetter's thick arm.

Wolverine sniffed the air and then raised his hand, and smiled. "It's okay. It's Jean." When Keesha released her arm and stepped away, Jubilee again felt the shiver run over her. A few seconds later, Jean and some sort of cat-woman broke into the clearing.

Bonesetter frowned, holding an arm out when Jubilee tried to step around him. "FireStar, is all well?"

The woman nodded and smiled. "No problems at all. Plans are a-changing, so the girls need to get back to the school to pack. Jeannie and I are here ta relieve ya. I'm here to stay with tall dark and handsome." She winked flirtatiously at Wolverine, giving him a curling finger wave.

"Pack?" Keesha asked as she rematerialized and ducked under Bonesetter's outstretched arm.

Jean nodded, "All of the students are going to our school in the States for the time being. It will be a nice chance for—"

"Oh _hell_, no!" Keesha exclaimed, rounding on first StarFire and then Bonesetter. "You two musta got knocked in the head if you think I'm leavin'. This is gonna be the battle of the century, and I'm going to be right here fighting it." She stomped one sandaled foot to make a point.

StarFire walked over and tugged hard on one of Keesha's braids. "You, missy, are going back ta the school ta pack your bags. If Leena says you're going, then you're going, and I don't want to hear another word outta you. She's got enough on her plate than worrying about a stubborn brat who—"

"StarFire," Bonesetter's voice was low, and he seemed surprised by the vehemence of her response to Keesha's complaints. "That's enough. This isna the time nor the place." He stepped forward to place a hand on Keesha's shoulder. "She dun have any idea what is going on." Patting the young girl's shoulder, he said. "Let's go back. Ye can talk tae Jaleena then."

"I'll stay here," Wolverine announced. "There ain't nothing for me to do back there anyway, and I'd rather not be cooped up."

Bonesetter nodded and began to usher the girls back toward the academy. The entire way back, Jubilee listened to Keesha grumble and state 1001 reasons why she wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

When they reached the school, Jubilee found Storm and Cyclops at a table with Ore and some of the other teachers. Keesha started complaining loudly, and Ore silenced her with firm, "We will discuss it later, Keesha Marie." It was effective, because the girl threw herself into a slumped position in a seat at a nearby table, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring.

When Jubilee went to sit down, Cyclops looked up at her. "You'd better pack your things as well, Jubilee. You'll be coming home with us."

"What?" She cried. "No way! There's no chance I'm going home without seeing some action!"

"Jubilee, you—" Cyclops began to speak, but Storm rested her hand on his arm, interrupting him.

"Jubilee, perhaps you should go speak with Gambit about it. We can let him decide. I believe he is on the upstairs deck with Jaleena."

"Wha-?" Cyclops began, but Jubilee already turned on her heel and dashed to the door. Gambit would definitely let her stay. If she whined just enough to get on his nerves, he caved pretty easily. As she went through the swinging doors, she heard Cyclops say, "Okay, when is someone going to tell me what is going on around here?"

* * *

Keesha skidded out the door just as it swung shut behind Jubilee. "Hey Jubes! Wait! I have an idea."

Jubilee slowed from a sprint to a walk, but she didn't stop. "I gotta get up there and convince Gambit to let me stay. There is no way I'm going home already. I haven't gotten to do anything fun yet."

Keesha grabbed her arm and dug in her heels to physically pull Jubilee to a stop. "Wait! You'll be glad you did, okay?"

Sighing her frustration, Jubilee turned around to face her. "What?"

Keesha stepped back, "Okay. I think we can both get what we want here, in a couple different ways." When Jubilee only raised her eyebrows, she went on. "So, we _both_ want to know what's up with your guy Gambit and my mom, right?" Jubilee nodded. "And we _both_ want to avoid being shipped off with the rest of the babies so we can stay here and fight, right?" Jubilee nodded again. "Then," Keesha smiled widely, "I've got a plan on how to make _both_ of those things happen."


	10. Chapter 10

Warning: Some harsh language in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 10:

"_I thought you were never supposed to see him again."_

"_I wasn't. If I had my way, I wouldn't have. Laurel brought him here. I didn't know, and I wish she'd never called him."_

Gambit stood just beside the door that would lead out to the upstairs deck, one hand braced on the door knob. He leaned his head against it for a moment, trying to get Jaleena's words to stop repeating themselves in his mind. "_I wish she'd never called him."_

They'd both changed, and he had his own life with the X Men now. He didn't want things to go back to the way they were fifteen years ago. He didn't expect them all to be one happy family. He hadn't even consciously thought about how that might work. Hell, he didn't even know if he still loved her—he was still too angry with her to follow that train of thought. Yet, the words still stung for some reason, much more than he wanted them to.

Gambit shook his head. He didn't have time to figure all of it out now. Turning the knob, he pushed the door open soundlessly. Jaleena was curled in the chair he had been sitting in hours earlier, her knees pulled to her chest. She had her arms wrapped around them and her chin rested on top. She stared out over the railing and seemed so lost in thought she didn't notice that he'd joined her. He stood for a moment, watching a stray lock of hair brush against her cheek in the breeze. Yes, she wasn't the same woman he'd married, but she was still beautiful, and in that moment, she looked tragically lonely with her arms wrapped around herself as if she had no one else to hold her. He took a step toward her, and the moment was gone. Her head jerked up when his foot brushed the decking. She seemed to relax, if only slightly, when she saw it was him; she leaned back in the chair but still held her knees to her chest.

"Hi," she gave a small, unsure smile.

He only nodded and moved over to the railing and angled his body so that his hip leaned against the railing, allowing him to look at her or, by turning his head the other way, to gaze out at the view. He pulled out his case, extracted a cigarette, and lit it, looking down at the expanse of lawn.

"I was concerned Jubilee would find me before you and I had the chance to talk," she explained as she pushed herself to her feet to stand next to him. "I'm glad you've come."

Giving her a sidelong glance, he smirked, "Dat was quite some show you put on wit loverboy back there." Jaleena groaned in response and leaned forward to cross her arms over the railing. He blew a plume of smoke up into the air and asked, "He seem quite taken wit you. Why not give da poor boy a chance?"

Jaleena rested her chin on her crossed arms, and gazed at the horizon. "I'm married," She said simply.

Gambit choked on the smoke he'd just inhaled, causing her to straighten and look at him in surprise. Frowning at the cigarette, he tossed it out over the railing as he tried to catch his breath, deciding he didn't want it after all. "Married, huh?" When she nodded, "So dat mean in fifteen years…you never…." His voice trailed off.

Leena shrugged and looked away. "I knew what I signed up for, Remy."

He took a step closer to her and slid one hand in front of her on the railing. She only turned her head to look up at him questioningly. Grinning, he lifted his other hand to cup her chin and flirtatiously asked, "So does dat mean I get de pleasure of performing my husbandly duties?"

To his surprise, she blushed, her lips parting on a surprised intake of breath. Her eyes flickered from his eyes down to his mouth. She raised one hand to his chest, and seemed to be leaning forward until she physically shook herself, taking an unsteady step away from him. He laughed, and her face became even redder. She returned to her seat and drew her knees up to her chest again, glaring at him this time. While he knew the flirtation hadn't been fair, he had always enjoyed riling her up.

As his humor died down to a chuckle, he turned around to face her fully, deciding to let that matter drop-at least for the time being. He leaned back against the balcony with his arms across his chest and crossed one foot over the other. "So what you want to talk about?"

She rested her head against the chair back and paused a moment to collect herself. "I wanted to discuss what we're going to do next about Jubilee. She can't go back with the others, of course, so we—"

"Pardon me, chere, but I don't tink I heard you correctly. Did you jus say dat Jubilee would _not_ be going wit de X Men."

Jaleena looked up at him, surprise written on her features. "Of course not, Remy. She needs to be protected."

He gritted his teeth, "And you tink de X Men aren't able to protect her?"

She shook her head, "That's not what I'm saying, Remy, but—"

"No buts," He interrupted her again. "She goin'."

Jaleena sat up straight, her feet landing on the wooden deck with a cracking thump. "She certainly is _not_! Could you be any more stubborn? We left Harrison, Remy. Do you remember that? We thought he was safe, but _we left his side, and now he is dead_!" She emphasized every word. He flinched, but she kept speaking, her feet firmly planted on the floor, her back as stiff as steel. "I'm not going to let us make the same mistake with Jubilee. She _will_ stay here with us." When he opened his mouth to respond, she cried, "Don't you think I have any right to decide the best way to keep her safe?"

Gambit's mouth snapped shut. Then, he slowly straightened and took the two steps forward that would have him towering over her seated figure. He was trembling with anger, and very slowly, he bent, placing one hand on either armrest of the chair, effectively caging her in. He leaned close, his features hard and his eyes narrowed in anger. She flinched back against the chair as he moved closer, but he continued to move close until their faces were merely inches apart. Quite clearly and firmly, he said, "No, I do not."

Before either of them realized what had happened, her hand shot up, slapping him hard across the face. The crack rang out loudly in the still air. He grabbed her arm and stood up, pulling her to her feet as well. Her other hand rose in a fist, as if to hit him again, but he grabbed it in mid-swing and angrily barked, "What da hell you doin, girl?"

She struggled against him, angry sounds coming from her throat. For one crazy moment, he fought the urge to kiss her again. She was right when he said he tended to fuel his anger in one direction. She looked beautiful, her anger bringing a flush of heat to her cheeks, her pale blue eyes lit up with anger, but based on how that had turned out the night before, he knew it was pure insanity. He tightened his grip on her arms, not enough to hurt, but enough to make a point.

"How dare you!" Jaleena finally bit out. "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me I don't have a fucking say in my own daughter's life?" She kicked him hard in the shin. Even though he wore his thick boots, it still stung, and he grunted in pain, but he didn't release her.

"Who do I tink I am? Who?" He yelled back at her. "I'm her fucking father, Leena." He shook her. "I'm da one who you left behind to take care of her without one damn word. I figure dat give me _all_ of da rights over what be best for her and leaves nothin' for you!"

She opened her mouth to scream back at him, but there was sudden movement to their left, and both Gambit and Jaleena turned in time to see two figures slowly materialize on the deck. Jubilee and Keesha stood there, their arms linked, and from their shocked expressions, it was clear they'd heard every word of the conversation.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Jubilee couldn't believe her ears. To be honest, she had been having a hard time believing most of what she'd just heard. Gambit married? Gambit and this strange woman fighting over what would happened to her? Jaleena being her mother? _Gambit being her father_? She seriously had to have fallen into a _Twilight Zone_ episode. And, she wasn't quite processing it all yet. As she felt a cold shiver go down her spine, she realized that Keesha must have dropped the shield of invisibility in her own shock, and it was only a second before the couple across the balcony was staring at them. Gambit still held onto Jaleena's wrists, holding her close to his chest, and Jaleena's mouth still hung open as she had been preparing to yell back at him.

As Jubilee snapped out of her shock, she tore her arm free from Keesha's, spun on her heel and ran for the door. No way was she dealing with this right now. She knew who her parents had been. She knew who she was. She knew where she was from. This was crap, and she certainly wasn't going to believe or deal with it right now. Behind her, she heard scuffling, but ignored it and grasped the door handle, twisted, and ran right into the door. Ouch. It didn't budge. She twisted the handle back and forth, almost in a panic, trying to push the door open so she could get away. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jaleena moving toward her, one hand outstretched.

Jubilee let out a squeak of panic and tried alternately to pull and push at the door. "Let me out-errr, Let me in!" She yelled in frustration.

"Now, chere," Gambit began, "Just calm down some so we can talk."

Jubilee looked over her shoulder again and saw Jaleena was even closer, but she had slowed her steps, each was cautious as if she were approaching a caged animal. Jubilee turned and pressed her back against the door, holding her hands out in front of her. "Don't come any closer!" She warned.

Jaleena raised her other hand in surrender, but took another step, "Now Jubilation, just give us some time to explain." Another step, "We—"

Leena was cut off in mid-sentence as Jubilee blasted her. She wasn't even sure that she meant to, but she had told her not to get any closer, and Jubilee was feeling pretty edgy. She watched Jaleena go flying backward on the deck, landing hard on her shoulder and sliding a short distance. As Jubilee realized that meant the door was likely unlocked, she turned to grab the knob but was tackled and fell sideways onto the deck.

"You don't touch my mother!" Keesha was yelling as she wrestled her down. Jubilee shrieked in rage, her yell mingling with Keesha's enraged snarl. Jubilee couldn't wiggle free, and she couldn't blast her off since she was too busy using her hands to keep Keesha from clawing her eyes out. Jubilee bucked hard, trying to knock the girl off, and then tried to roll to get the advantage, but Keesha was baring her teeth, growling in anger, and bent on doing some serious damage.

Both girls froze when there was an explosion just above their heads. They looked over to see Gambit holding a second charging card in his hand. He was kneeling beside a dazed Jaleena, supporting her back as she placed a hand to the side of her head. "Now, now, ladies. Why don't you both jus take a minute to cool off?"

Keesha slowly stood up, her hands raised in self defense, but all the while, she glared at Gambit, obviously not very happy to finally learn of his relationship with Jaleena. Jubilee fought the urge to zap the girl on principal. Being tackled had hurt! Instead, she turned to look back at Gambit and Jaleena…her…parents? She fought against the panic that began to rise and tried taking some measured, deep breaths.

Gambit stood, still holding a card at the ready and reached down to offer Jaleena his hand. She placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. Based on the fact they had seemed ready to kill each other moments ago, Jubilee was surprised when their fingers remained linked.

"Maybe we could all sit down and talk," Jaleena said softly, her eyes imploring first Jubilee and then Keesha. "I know that there is a lot to be explained." She gestured to one of the tables. Everyone seemed to move warily toward a seat. Keesha angled herself so that she sat between Jubilee and Jaleena, sliding her chair in close to Leena. She glared at Jubilee, who just rolled her eyes. Geesh. It wasn't like she'd asked for any of this to happen to her. She couldn't focus on the other girl's jealousy right now, so she just chose to ignore her.

Jaleena looked at Gambit, who tossed the card over his should where it popped, and he shrugged as if to say, "Go for it." He leaned back in his chair, appearing is if he were the most relaxed one in the bunch, but Jubilee could tell that he had his jaw clenched, causing tension lines to stand out around his mouth. Jaleena was also clearly a bundle of nerves. She seemed to be swallowing nervously every few moments, and her brow was furrowed as she struggled to decide on what to say.

"So," Jubilee began, looking at her. "You think you're my mother? You know I had parents, right? I was raised in Beverly Hills."

Jaleena looked at Gambit, clearly surprised, "I never pictured you in Beverly Hills." Then she turned back to Jubilee to answer her question. "Jubilation, I _know _I am your mother. Listen, it's a long story, and I promise I will tell you all of it at some point. Right now, you just need to know the basics. Remy and I met when we were fifteen, and we lived with a few other mutants in Paris. We were on our own, so we didn't live an honest life, but we did what we had to in order to survive. I had you at seventeen, and you made us so happy." Her eyes were a bit teary at this point, and her lips curved into a smile. "Since we were young and poor, we didn't exactly plan it," Gambit chuckled, but Jubilee noticed his thumb had begun to stroke the back of Jaleena's hand. "But we were so very happy to have you."

Keesha shifted uncomfortably in her chair, her scowl growing darker. Leena used her free hand to rub the girl's back, but Keesha shifted away from her stubbornly. With a soft sigh, Jaleena turned back to Jubilee. "We got married shortly after that, and had your brother two years later."

"Brother!?" Jubilee shot to her feet, her eyes wide. "I have a brother somewhere, too?"

Jaleena drew in a breath, pressing her lips together and looking at Gambit. He squeezed her hand and looked at Jubilee. "No, chere. I'm sorry to say you don't." Jubilee sat back down slowly, turning her confused gaze on him now. He looked sad as he picked up where Jaleena had left off. "We had your brother a couple years later, and we decided to raise you both in de right way. We left de gang and got our own place. One day we went out, and when we got back, we found out dat he was gone. De babysitter was dead and dere was just blood everywhere…." He paused for a moment to rub at his eyes. When he lowered his hand, they were hard and angry. "Den your mama decided to go off on her own to get revenge and never came back."

Jubilee put her head in her hands. This was a lot—and it was a crazy story that left a lot of unanswered questions (who killed her brother anyway?), but it would explain the lack of baby pictures she'd had as a child. She stared down at the tabletop until a silver locket slid across the table and into her view.

"After Harrison was born, the others got this for us. Ore made it." Jaleena explained. With trembling fingers, Jubilee pulled it open. On one side, there was a picture of a pair of teenagers that resembled Jaleena and Gambit and two small children. The little girl had a mop of black hair and was smiling down at her new baby brother, who clearly favored his father with a fuzz of redish hair. They all did look really happy. They looked like a family. On the other side, four names were written: Remy, Jaleena, Jubilation, and Harrison LeBeau, with the year written beneath the names. She would have been about two years old.

Jubilee looked more closely at the teenage mother. It was eerily like looking at a slightly warped photograph of herself. Their faces were the same shape in terms of cheekbones, nose, and mouth. They had the same thick dark hair that seemed to be almost blue-black in color. She swallowed hard and leaned back in her chair to look at the woman across from her. She could see those same features now, but more aged. Jaleena's face was thinner, and she had thin lines between her brows, at the corner of her eyes, and around her mouth. The only thing different was her eyes. Her mother's eyes were slanted more sharply, hinting at their Asian background. Jubilee's were more rounded.

Jubilee set the locket back down on the table and turned to Gambit. Yes, the shape of the eyes was not exact but more familiar, but with the odd coloring of his eyes, it would be hard to make that connection. "If this is true," she accused him, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were my father?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but Jaleena interrupted him, pulling her hand free of his and exclaiming, "What? What is she talking about Remy? You left her alone?"

He raised a hand at her and shook his head. "Not now, chere." When she opened her mouth again, he placed a finger over her lips. For a moment, Jubilee thought the older woman would bite him. "Dis is about Jubilee now." Instead, Jaleena leaned back in her chair, obviously still angry, but conceding his point.

Gambit looked back at Jubilee and tried smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You have to realize dat I was jus trying to do de best ting for you. Your mama and I had agreed dat we wanted you to have a normal life, de best life dat we could give you. We wanted you to be loved and not grow up afraid or in danger. Wit me, you couldn't have dat. I knew dat." He shook his head against memories. "I always been a thief, and I couldn't work and take care of a baby on my own, so I found you a good family. Dey was set financially, and dey wanted a baby pretty bad. Dey promised me dat dey would take care of you, and dey kept me in touch wit your life."

He paused for a moment to let that sink in before smiling for real. "I watched you grow up, chere. I flew to California several times a year to see you in school plays, volley ball games, and all sorts of different tings. By de time I found out your parents were killed, I was wit de X Men. I knew by den dat you was a mutant, so I arranged tings to have you be back wit me. We weren't in dat mall by accident." He spread his hands in front of him. "I didn't know how to tell you. You had good memories of your adopted parents, and I didn't want to spoil dat, so I jus did de best I could to watch out for you."

When she remained speechless, he reached over to take her hand. "Jubilee, I am sorry dat dis is coming as such a shock. I know dat we both wanted to tell you in a better way."

Jaleena murmured her agreement and reached her hand over to place it on top of Gambit's.

Jubilee looked at each of them for a moment, her face still a mask of confusion, then down at their three joined hands. She moistened her lips and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the scrape of Keesha's chair as she leaped up and ran off, slamming the door behind her.

Jaleena withdrew her hand and sighed, moving to stand. "I need to go after her," She explained, "This is quite a shock for Keesha as well. I never told her I was married or that I had had children. I imagine she's very upset. It wasn't something we've ever talked about here." She smiled tentatively at Jubilee. "Perhaps we can talk later? Or have dinner together tonight?"

Gambit's fingers tightened on Jubilee's. "No. She won't be here. She gonna be leaving at noon wit de X Men."

Jaleena sighed and looked at Gambit wearily, "Really, Remy? You're still going to fight me on this?" Her words didn't hold any of the heat they had earlier.

He leaned back in his chair and leveled his dark gaze on her, "Leena, I have been perfectly clear 'bout dis."

Jubilee snorted, drawing both of their attention. Yeah right. Like she was going to let them just decide this on their own. Besides, it seemed that Jaleena was going to give her some leverage. "Well then, you'll just have to reconsider, Gambit, because I'm not going." She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him. "That makes two against one."

To her utter surprise, he looked back and forth between the two of them and threw his head back and laughed. "Well now, it look like Gambit be outnumbered." He smiled at Jaleena and then at Jubilee. Then he winked. "I guess I better get use to dis."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Jaleena pushed open the door to Keesha's room and was dismayed not to see her inside. That meant she was hiding somewhere, and she still had the power of invisibility. "Keesha?" She called out softly, "Are you here? You know you'll feel a lot better if we talk about this."

There was no answer, so she turned and walked across the hall to her own room. She stepped in and was relieved to see an impression in the middle of her own bed. "Keesha?" The dent didn't move, so Jaleena carefully closed the door behind her and went to sit down on the side of the bed, one hand moving to rest on the invisible form. At her touch, Keesha slowly became visible.

Keesha was curled up in a ball on her side, her hands pillowed under her head. Her cheeks were damp from tears, and she kept her eyes squeezed closed. "I remember when you used to hide in my room any time you were in trouble as a child." Jaleena murmured as she laid down on her side so she was facing the girl and lifted a hand to brush back her braids. "I'm sorry sweetheart."

Keesha opened her violet eyes and sucked in a shaky breath, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jaleena sighed, still stroking the younger girl's hair. "That's a good question." She paused for a few moments. "I suppose because it hurts to talk about it. I lost my whole family in just a few days, and I don't like to think back to that time. Talking about them was just a reminder that I was no longer a part of their lives." She smiled weakly, "Besides, I never thought they'd be a part of my life again. It's been fifteen years, Keesha. That's a very long time."

"That's when you got me," she mumbled quietly.

Jaleena smiled and slid her arms around Keesha to hug her. "Yes, it was about 5 or 6 months before we found you." She cuddled the girl to her, "You saved my life. Did I ever tell you that?" When Keesha shook her head, Jaleena continued. "I had given up almost everything at that point. I had promised never to see either of them again, and in return, I was told that they would be safe. I was here working with Laurel, and Joe, a few others. At that point, I didn't care about anything besides hurting the people who hurt me." She hugged her closer, "I was becoming more focused on hurting people more than on helping people. It was a pretty dark time for me. I don't like the person I was becoming."

She leaned back to smile down at her, "But then we found your mama, and she made us promise to take care of you. Somehow, I ended up being the one who had to take care of this baby, and, at first, it was very hard."

"Because you had just lost your own baby?" Keesha asked.

Jaleena pressed her lips together as she considered the question, "Perhaps that did play a part, but that wasn't what I was focused on at the time. I had become rather selfish, and having to put aside my anger and revenge to care for you was difficult. It was a distraction in a way." Teasingly, she pinched Keesha's cheek, "But you were irresistible! It turns out you were just the distraction I needed, and it wasn't long before you had me wrapped around your finger." Keesha grinned back. "You reminded me of what it was like to love someone and want to protect them. You reminded me what I was really fighting for: not for revenge, but for love and peace and hope."

Keesha snorted, and Jaleena laughed. "I know; it sounds so idealistic, but it's true. When I fight, I think about the fact that I want you to have a better life. I don't want you to have to worry about dealing with all of this. I want you to be able to fall in love and have a family of your own without ever fearing for their safety."

Keesha nodded, and they lay in companionable silence for a short time. Then Keesha asked in a quiet voice, "Do you still love him? I mean are you going to go back with him?"

Jaleena bit her lip to hold back a sigh. What a question. She took her time answering, one hand moving to stroke back Keesha's hair. "To your first question, I don't know, Keesha. It has been a long time. I'm a different person, and he seems to be as well. I can promise you though, that I can't imagine leaving the school to go anywhere else. My family is here now." Saying the words made something twist in her gut. She wasn't sure if she really believed that. Could she so easily give them up again so quickly after having found them. She closed her eyes for a moment, not sure who she was really lying to: her self or her adopted daughter. There was one thing she was certain of: "Even if I did go with them, I would never leave you, you know? You would just have to come with me."

Keesha nodded and snuggled closer. After a few more moments, while Jaleena was still mentally struggling with the previous question, she asked one that was more easily answered. "Are you going to send me away with the X Men?"

Jaleena hugged her tighter. "Absolutely not. I want you by my side so I can protect you."

"How long will they stay?"

Jaleena sighed. "That question, I really don't know the answer to. I think it will depend on how long it takes to defeat Onyx." She paused a few moments until something seemed to occur to her, "Keesha, you know no matter how long they're here, you're always going to be my daughter." She stroked her hair again, "No one can replace you, and just because Jubilation is here, it does not mean that I will love you any less or have less time for you." She playfully tugged a braid. "But you have to play nice, too. No more trying to kill your sister. No matter what. This is all so new to her, and she has a right to be upset with me."

Keesha was quiet. "So…," she paused, and Leena patiently waited, "So does that mean she is my sister?"

Jaleena smiled, "Yes, I think it does. We'll have to ask her what she thinks about it, too. Would you like that? To have a sister?"

Keesha pushed herself up, tossing her braids over her shoulder with a musical clacking of beads, "I suppose, but only if she realizes that she doesn't get to boss me around since she's older. In fact, I should probably get to boss her around seeing that she's not from around here and she doesn't know you that well."

Jaleena laughed and sat up to hug the girl again, "Now, that sounds like the Keesha I know!" They both laughed, and Jaleena let out a sigh of relief. At least one part of her life seemed like it was getting back to normal. Now she only had to sort through the feelings swirling inside of herself. But that would have to wait until the coming battle reached its conclusion.


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the HUGE delay. The good news is that I'm back! I will try to post more regularly. Reviews are always appreciated.

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Chapter 13:

The silence was…well…awkward. There was no other way to describe it. Jubilee drummed her fingers on the table and looked at Gambit…her father? _That _would certainly take some getting used to. He just looked back at her, looking decidedly uncomfortable. She squirmed in her chair. Yup. It was definitely awkward, and it promised to stay that way as long as they just stared at each other.

He seemed to come to the same conclusion and leaned back in his chair to reach into his coat. He pulled out a silver cigarette case, seemed to change his mind, and put it back in his pocket. Jubilee drummed her fingers some more, still staring and semi-glaring. He had explained things, but she wasn't quite satisfied with his answers. His brow furrowed as he stared back at her. Great, now they would glare at each other. That was a slight change, but not one that promised to improve the situation.

Gambit reached into his coat again, this time pulling out a fresh deck of cards. As he broke the seal, he asked, "You play blackjack?" Jubilee nodded and watched as he split out the jokers and expertly shuffled the cards. Yeah, like she wanted to play cards right now, but she didn't say anything as he began to deal out the cards. He dealt himself the cards. He had a 4 showing, and she had 9.

"Hit me," she mumbled, watching as he dealt them both a second card. A 9 for him and a 4 for her. He chuckled at their matching pairs. He had clubs and she had diamonds. They both took another card, and he went bust with a second 9. She smiled, just a bit, and he leaned back to shuffle the cards again, meeting her gaze once more.

"I suppose you be wantin to hear more, 'bout why I wasn't around." When she nodded, he continued. "Dere be a couple reasons." He dealt the cards again, a Jack showing for him, and an 8 for her with a 4 in the hole. He waited for her to say "Hit me" before he continued. He dealt her a 3 as he continued, not taking a card for himself. "First one is what I say before, dat I wasn't fit to be anybody's daddy. I couldn't take good care of you. I could barely take care of myself. I was pretty sure dat my life was over, and if I stuck around, dey'd take you next." He paused and looked down at her cards in question. She tapped one finger on the table, busting with a Jack, and flipping her cards over in disgust. He grinned this time as he gathered the cards to shuffle again, buying more time to tell his story.

"I wasn't even twenty years old yet, still just a kid. When Leena was around, it seemed normal to have a family. I guess we made each other believe dat we could be normal." He paused in his shuffling, his expression tightening. "When she was gone, and de baby, too. I knew we wasn't. I knew dat just you and me could never be a normal family. I couldn't give you a home and safety. I couldn't even figure out how to keep us both fed after de first month or two."

He picked up the cards again to deal once more. He showed a two of spades, while she had the four, with a three of clubs in the hole. He waited for her to ask for another card, flipping a 10 of diamonds for himself and a nine of spades for her, before he continued.

"I knew I wasn't ever goin' to have a normal life-heck, I never had, but dat didn't mean I didn't want dat for you. Dat had been all your mama and I wanted—for you to have a normal life and to be happy." He flipped his cards to reveal a hidden four of hearts. Despite herself, she smiled as flipped over her three, showing that they both had 16. He leaned back, resting the cards on the table for a moment, smiling back at her, but his eyes were sad. "I figured you had a better chance of being happy wit'out me in your life. I would jus get you killed one way or another."

There was another moment of that awkward silence as they stared at each other. She didn't like how she felt about this reason. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, and pity. She hated that she felt bad for him, that if she really tried, she could see his point of view. She didn't want to feel that way. She just wanted to continue to feel angry and betrayed about being abandoned. She reached over across the table to pick up the cards, shuffling them herself—perhaps not as expertly as he had, but efficiently enough. "You said there were more reasons," she prompted.

He seemed at a loss of what to do with his hands, and as she waited, she understood why he had brought out the cards to begin with. It was oddly calming to shuffle them, to distract her body in some small way while her mind raced to absorb everything she was learning. With a sigh, he pulled out the silver case to light a cigarette after all. She fought to keep a grin from her face, focusing on the cards instead. At least she wasn't the only one looking for something to do with her hands.

"I had work to do. I found a good home for you, and once I knew you was safe, I went back. I knew who had killed my whole family, and I wasn't going to just sit back and let him get away with it. I had plans to find him and make him pay." He waited, eyeing the cards. She quickly dealt, showing a five of clubs for him, and a 10 of hearts for her, with the 9 of hearts not showing. He nodded for another card and continued. "I caught him, got it so it was jus de two of us. I was ready to make him suffer for what he done." He grinned at the five of hearts she gave him and flipped over a 10 of spades. Twenty. Lucky, she wrinkled her nose, showing her nine, just one short. He winked at her and took a breath from his cigarette.

"What did you do?" She asked, shuffling and waiting for him to speak.

He held the cigarette up, staring at the glowing tip. "I let him go."

"What?" In her surprise, the cards broke free from her fingers, shooting across the table. "Why would you do that?"

He smiled at her sadly, sweeping a hand across the table to help her gather the cards again. "Because of you." He stacked the cards and set them in front of her again. "He told me all about you. All about your foster parents in California. He knew right where you were, and we made a deal." He watched her as he took another long drag from the cigarette. "His life for de life of my daughter."

She looked down at the cards in her hands, reorganizing them, then shuffling them. She swallowed hard, dealing slowly. "But you could have ended it. You could have gotten your revenge." She dealt herself twenty—two tens. She dealt an Ace of clubs face up for him.

He glanced at his hidden card and tapped the Ace, watching as she dealt him a King of clubs, and then a six of diamonds. He looked up to meet her eyes. "Do you really tink dat would be worth more than your life?" He flipped over a two of spades: Nineteen.

She leaned back, not showing her card yet. "I don't know. I don't think I really know you at all."

He flinched at her words, then he nodded and inhaled again from the cigarette. He leaned his head back, and they both watched him blow smoke into the air. "I guess I deserve dat." He took another long breath before looking at her again, his eyes fierce. "Nothin' in dis world means more to me den you do, Jubilee." He gestured to her card.

She flipped over the 10 of hearts, and put down the cards. Jubilee felt sick to her stomach for some reason, so she wrapped her arms around herself.

He watched her and sighed. He took another drag from the cigarette and stubbed it out on the bottom of his boot. "So we made a deal. He would leave you alone if I left him alone." He flicked the butt over the railing. "So I wandered around. I kept an eye on you and got to enjoy seeing you have a normal life—growing up like any kid who spent all her free time at de mall." He rolled his eyes at her. "It seemed like it was de best of luck—dat you were living de life we always dreamed for you. You was happy. You never knew dat we was even missing. It gave me comfort. At de time, I was sure your mama was dead, and I thought she be satisfied with where you ended up."

She hugged herself tighter, hating that he was right. She had never questioned who her parents were. She had never questioned who she thought she was. She had been happy (and normal) for most of her life.

"And den your parents died, and you had your powers. I was wit de X Men by den, so it only make sense to arrange to be at dat mall, to find you and bring you home."

She picked up the cards again, shuffling without thinking. "So why didn't you tell me then?"

"It just seemed too soon after you lost de only parents you knew. Like I said, I didn't want to take dem away from you, to make dem seem like dey weren't really yours." He explained. "Besides dat, I couldn't imagine telling you, only to have to tell you your real mama was gone, too. It was just too much."

She nodded, looking up from the cards in her hands to meet his gaze. "So what happens now?" she asked.

He grinned at her and rested his arms on the table as he leaned toward her. "Well, chere. I tink for now, you deal de cards. We get to know each other again as much as we can. Den we can figure de rest out after dis mess is over with and we be back home. What do you say?"

Jubilee stared at him for a moment. He was right-they weren't done figuring things out or getting to know each other in this new way, but there was a lot happening right now. They would have the time now that she knew who he was. For right now, it was enough. With a smile, she dealt the cards.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Jaleena stood apart from the group standing at the front of the property watching as the last of the students boarded the Blackbird. The other faculty members, a few of the remaining X-men, and Keesha and Jubilee were also present to see off the younger students. She watched as the door to the plane closed behind them, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that they would be out of harm's way. She glanced towards Remy, Keesha, and Jubilee, feeling a similar sense of relief that they were present where she could see them and protect them. Since she had had her talk with Keesha, the girl had gone back to befriending Jubilee, even insisting that they share her room and wardrobe. Now they were both decked out in skinny jeans and bright colored sweaters. It pleased her immensely that the girls seemed to be embracing the "sister" angle so far. She could see that they were teaming up on Remy, pestering him with some demand, and he was pretending to look resistant to their entreaties. However, Jaleena could tell that he was enjoying their attention. She smiled, happy with the fact that they were together.

She raised a hand to wave as the Blackbird lifted off. She watched it rise into the air and turn to head toward the US. She glanced around to see several others mimicking her gesture. Her smile faded when her gaze rested on Violet and FireStar. A large packed suitcase was sitting on the ground next to Violet, and she was staring tearfully at the Blackbird as it rose into the sky and flew away. She did not wave. Likely, the fact that her son was not on the plane was the largest reason for her upset. FireStar leaned close to whisper something and rested her hand on Violet's shoulder. When the woman didn't respond and only shrugged off her hand, FireStar bent to pick up the suitcase and turned to carry it back inside.

Jaleena sighed, feeling worried for her friend. Violet had desperately wanted her son we to go with the X-Men to the US, but he had stubbornly refused to go. He had disappeared after the morning meeting to avoid being forced onto the plane. As the plane disappeared from sight, the others turned to go back inside as well. Jaleena waited one more moment, preparing to approach Violet. After some consideration, she decided that if her friend didn't want FireStar's company, she'd not welcome Leena's either. Instead, she turned and walked back inside and left Violet standing alone, still staring at the sky.

* * *

An hour later, Jaleena stood in the front of her classroom, juggling a dry erase marker in her hands. She had changed back into her uniform after coming back inside, so she looked as ready for battle as ever. She had even braided her hair back away from her face. They had called a meeting for everyone remaining at the academy. Ore had decided that if the children were staying, they needed to be trained first. Each faculty member of Ballenger Academy had a different strength: Ore was an expert on battle tactics, Bonesetter focused on hand-to-hand combat, Violet specialized in defensive techniques, Raider was interested in technology, and FireStar taught courses on stealth and subterfuge. Leena, however, was an expert on understanding mutant powers at their very core, so she had a better overall understanding of each of the students' true capabilities. As a result, she often took the lead in any trainings they planned.

As she waited for everyone (students, faculty, and the X-Men) to file into the room and take their seats, she began to write a list of three objectives on the board. Lee had suddenly reappeared with the other teens as soon as the Blackbird had left the island. He jauntily saluted his friends and settled at the table with Jubilee and Keesha, who had been sitting alone. The adults all sat at another table, Violet refusing to turn and look at her son.

Once everyone was settled, she got started by pointing to the first item on the board. "If we're going to get you guys into action, the first thing we need to do is get you suited up. The last thing we need is sending you out there and ready to battle in ratty jeans and t-shirts."

Reynold, one of the older boys, spoke up." What's wrong with jeans and a t-shirt? I've been sparring in these for most of training, and I've been just fine in the past. Besides not everybody wants to wear spandex." He made a face, and his friends laughed, a few nodding in agreement.

Jaleena smiled in response. "Well, I can very easily show you why you would not want to fight in your current attire. Let's demonstrate…" She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. "…and I won't even use my powers." She gestured to the space in the front of the room. "If you'll join me, Reynold."

The teen stood and sauntered to the front of the room, throwing a cocky grin over his shoulder to his friends. Keesha just rolled her eyes and whispered something to Jubilee that made her snicker. "Ready?" Lena asked.

He nodded and assumed a fighting stance. She nodded in response, matching his stance, and crooking a finger at him. "I'll even give you first strike."

Reynold grinned and charged toward her. Deftly, she stepped out of his way, grabbed the edge of his large t-shirt only to swing him around by the loose material, and then grasped the back of it to pull it over his head effectively cutting off his vision and locking his arms in place. While he was disoriented, she swept a leg under him, sending him sprawling on the floor. The other children in the room hooted with laughter until Jaleena silenced them with a look.

"I could have easily done the same with any of you," she chided them. As Reynold pulled his t-shirt back into place, she offered him a hand to help him up.

"Spandex aside," she explained as he returned to his seat, getting good-natured pats on the back, "We wear these suits for the protection they offer and because they make it easier to evade an enemy's grasp—not because we like to prance around in skin-tight clothing." She glanced towards FireStar's swimsuit-like uniform and then rolled her eyes. "Well, at least not all of us."

FireStar just responded with a soft purr, struck a pose, and wiggled her eyebrows at the students, who grinned or laughed.

"All fashion aside," Jaleena continued, "Your uniforms are also used for protection." She rapped one armored forearm against the edge of her desk and it emitted a hollow knocking sound. "Thanks to Raiders research, your suits will be resistant to bullets, lasers, and a variety of other projectiles. It doesn't mean you're invincible, but it does mean that you'll be better protected. Any other arguments for jeans and t-shirts?"

When the only response was a few of the girls shaking their heads, Jaleena gestured to the next item on the list. "Next, you will be working with a partner to perfect your understanding and use of your powers. Since you're all far along in your studies, you should have a considerable amount of research completed on your projects focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of your mutant powers. I'd like you to share those with everyone in the room including our guests so that we can all work together to fill any gaps in both offense and defense. If you haven't completed yours, you will need to work extra hard this week to get it finished. There are no excuses. This will not be a drill."

She paused a moment to let that tidbit sink in. They hated nothing more than homework, but she hoped to make them realize that this wasn't just an assignment. She truly believed that the more mutants understood about their powers, the better they'd be able to control and use them. Finally, Jaleena pointed to the last item on the board. "We will begin working on a series of training simulations immediately after dinner. Start pairing up and get to work."

When Jubilee just sat back in her seat while the rest of the students began pairing up and heading to the exit, Jaleena pointed at her. "You, too, Jubilation."

Jubilee frowned. "Come on! I'm an X-Man. I already had my training. I shouldn't have to do homework, too."

Jaleena shook her head in response. "You'll be working with a new team now, and you need to be up to speed with what these teammates can do. Likewise, you need to be ready to explain your powers to them. You are already behind, so you had best get to work."

Jubilee begin whine once again, and Gambit spoke up. "She right, chere. Plus you know you aren't done wit your training back home, so dis can't do anyting but help make you stronger."

Jubilee grumbled but pushed her chair out and walked out of the room to join the rest of the students. Jaleena shared a private smile with Gambit, who just winked at her, as the adults came forward to the front of the room.

"Your approach is interesting," Storm commented, "I don't know that we have students create projects based on their skills. What exactly do you teach?"

Jaleena perched on her desk in the front of the room and crossed her legs. "Science mostly, since I think all mutant powers can in some ways be traced back to science. We all take turns covering more general areas, and everyone specializes in different mutant and battle skills."

"So it's just the six of you?" Wolverine asked.

Jaleena nodded. Gambit frowned and interrupted, "What about Crake? I haven't seen him around here yet."

Jaleena bit her bottom lip and looked at Violet. All of the Ballenger faculty save Raider seemed disquieted by his question. Violet took a deep breath and turned to face Gambit fully. She began to shake her head, even after all this time, moisture building in her eyes. Before she could speak the words, FireStar stepped between the two of them. Her normally carefree face was serious. "Listen Remy, now is not the time or the place. We can catch you up later."

He frowned and gritted his teeth, but he nodded and redirected his gaze toward Jaleena. She bit her bottom lip, seeing the concern in his eyes and knowing how the news about his old friend must pain him.

Jaleena looked back at Wolverine, attempting to redirect the conversation. "Yes," she repeated. "There's just the six of us, but we manage well enough on our own. By the time the children leave here, they have the equivalent of a high school degree, and in addition to that, they have mastery and a deep understanding of their own abilities. We want them to be able to fend for themselves and live whatever life they choose once they leave here."

Wolverine nodded and then asked, "What do the kids typically decide to do after they graduate?"

Laurel spoke up this time. "We don't know yet. This group of children will be the first to finish here. I'm sure some will go off to live normal lives—well, as normal as they can be as mutants. Some have already expressed interest in staying here and helping with the other children. Of the five that stayed behind to fight, only three would have graduated this year. The other two had another year or so to go."

She refocused the groups' attention on the third point. "Now we'll need everyone to work together for the simulation this evening. We can draw names to see who will be paired up. I figure we can start simple with capture the flag. We'll use the basement training area as the obstacle course, and each of us will take up different posts in an attempt to prevent the students from getting the flag." Laurel paused to look at each adult in turn. "Remember not to take it easy on them. Lord knows Onyx won't."

* * *

As everyone began to leave the room, Wolverine gestured to Gambit to stay. "Hold up, Gumbo."

Gambit took a deep breath before turning to face his friend. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. "What you need, mon ami?"

Wolvering crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his gaze on the taller man. "You got somethin' you been wantin' to tell me?" He asked.

Gambit grinned as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Matter a fact, I do. Jubilee is—"

Wolverine effectively cut him off by punching him in the mouth. "Yeah. I heard."

Gambit nodded, running his tongue over his teeth to make sure they were all as they should be. Wolverine had not pulled his punch, and he had heard and felt a crack when the punch connected. He just hoped it was one of Wolverine's knuckles rather than one of his teeth. "I kinda figured dis be how you'd react," he mumbled.

Wolverine nodded and pulled his hood up over his face. He had been paired with Violet for the simulations and was off to work with her. "Yeah. You just remember, parental rights or no, you better keep her happy. Or you'll be answerin' to me, bub." He turned and stalked out of the room, leaving Gambit behind to rub at his jaw, a grin spreading across his face despite the pain. A father couldn't ask for a better protector for his daughter. It was almost worth a few broken teeth to know it. Almost, he thought when he felt one of his teeth wiggle just a little.

* * *

Sorry for the long break! I'll be bouncing back and forth between both stories for the time being, so updates may be slow, but they'll arrive! Thanks to everyone who has followed and sent me notes of encouragement!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Jubilee hurried out the door to try to catch up with the other students who had already left. She could see Keesha rounding the corner in front of her. Just as she was about to catch up with her, someone grabbed Jubilee's arm. She turned around to see Lee, the student who had spoken up to convince the adults to let all of the older students remain and fight. He grinned at her. "Hey there. Why don't we partner up and get to know each other a little better?"

Jubilee pulled her hand back and wrinkled her nose. "No thanks, creepazoid. I think I'll just work with Keesha." She turned to walk away, but he caught her arm again.

"Come on, you already know Keesha. Isn't the point of this exercise to get to know each other better? I bet we'll get along better than you think."

Jubilee rolled her eyes and said, "No thanks."

The boys rolled his eyes in response. "Seriously, Jubilation. Just come with me. You'll be glad that you did."

"That sounds so less creepy," she replied. When he just continued to look at her, she shrugged. "Whatever."

He grinned and grabbed her arm again to pull her down the hallway. He didn't seem to trust that she'd follow on her own.

"Where are we going?" she asked. He pushed open the door and gestured inside. She peeked in and gave him an incredulous look. "Your room?"

He just stepped in front of her and shrugged. "It's not what you think. You can leave the door open if you want. I just want to show you something."

"Yeah," Jubilee said. "That's what all the rapists and serial killers say."

He ignored her remark and sat down on his bed. From beneath, he pulled an old faded scrapbook. He flipped it open to the first page and held it out to her. She took a step closer and peered down at the picture to see two dark-haired children sitting together in a playpen. She looked at him waiting for him to explain. He shook the book at her until she took it.

"Even if we don't remember each other very well, we have known each other for a long time, Jubilation."

She squinted at the picture. It was old and a bit faded. "So this is supposed to be me?" He nodded. "And you?" she continued.

Lee nodded again. "We were actually born only a day or so apart. Our mother's even shared a room in the hospital."

Jubilee begin flipping through the pages of the scrapbook. Here were the missing baby pictures she had been wondering about. She saw pictures of herself, of Lee, and of their parents. A skinny and young looking Gambit tossing her into the air. Her mother and father holding her while they stood along side Violet and a strange man holding Lee. A picture of two cute babies dressed in Halloween costumes. The boy was a pumpkin, and the little girl was a black cat. She pulled the locket Jaleena had given her out of her pocket and opened it. The small child in the picture resembled the girl in the pictures Lee had given her.

She looked at him but didn't say anything, not denying or affirming her belief in what he was saying, though deep down, she knew that little girl in the pictures was her.

"Yeah," he said, "I figured you may not know much about your childhood. My mom never wants to talk about it either. I thought I'd do you a favor and share what I learned. Our parents lived together since before we were born. I guess you and I kind of lived together as well, so I figured I'd owe you in a way."

Jubilee nodded, and there was silence for a few long minutes. She finally decided he was waiting for her to start, so she asked the first question that came into her head. "So, our parents…how did they know each other?"

He leaned back on the bed, resting his weight on both arms and looked up at her. "I don't know how much they would want you to know. Parents tend to hate it when their kids have the dirt on them. Like I said, my mother tried to hide a lot from me, but Uncle Joe has always been straight with me. I think because he was the only male role model I had growing up. He has been like a father to Key and I." He chuckled and pretended to shudder. "I can't imagine what my life would be like without him. It would have been me and a gaggle of women until Raider came. "

She smiled weakly and sat next to him on the bed. He continued, "Anyway, how they met. They were all mutants at a time when it was not well known that mutants even existed. Somehow they all found each other, teamed up to live together, and ended up being a family. They made their living by stealing—that part my mother denies to this day, but I know it was true. They didn't seem to think it was a bad way to live either. I don't think anyone even considered honest work until your parents moved out."

"Gambit... Err, my dad said something about that." As she closed the album, she looked back at him curiously. "Why do you keep this?"

He reached out to take the album from her and ran his hand along the cover. He was quiet for a moment and then opened it to a picture of the two of them, Gambit, and the strange man. He pointed to the man. "That's Crake, my father. These are really the only pictures I have left of him." he explained. "He and Remy were best friends I guess. My dad was the one who introduced your parents to each other. He was the one who brought Remy into the family."

"What happened to him?" Jubilee asked.

Lee looked down at his hands, which were fisted together tightly. "The same thing that everyone thought happened to your mother, only for him it was real. After you and your dad left, we made do for a while. Uncle Joe said it was a really hard time for everyone. When Leena came back, she wouldn't talk to anyone but spent all her time plotting revenge. It was like she was a different person. No longer caring or happy. We found Keesha, and that helped a little. Then Onyx attacked again. Your mom went ballistic, and they actually had to sedate her. My dad went out to face him alone. He didn't tell anyone and just took off. In the end, he wasn't strong enough to win. Uncle Joe says he did it to protect us—to protect all of us."

He was silent for a few moments, and Jubilee hesitantly reached a hand over to place on his. He turned one hand over to twine his fingers through hers, smiling wryly. "When he died, Onyx returned his body to us. Everyone seems to think that the fact that Onyx killed him is the reason why he left us alone for so long. The current attacks have only been happening for about the past year. Before that, there were just small skirmishes but lately they have become more consistent and serious."

He finally looked up to meet Jubilee's gaze. "Now that you and Remy are here, I imagine things will only get worse."

Jubilee frowned and swallowed hard. "We didn't know," she explained.

Lee nodded. "I know, and I'm not trying to place blame. But that doesn't change the fact that it is true. I suppose it doesn't matter though I'd rather get it over with now. I'm so tired of all of this." He looked at her very seriously. "I want him dead. I want revenge for my father's death. I want you to know that. No one is going to keep me from killing Onyx."

Jubilee chuckled mirthlessly. "It sounds like you're going to have to get in line. I feel like he has to answer to a lot of different people for what he's done over the years."

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I told you we would get along just fine." When she smiled back, he asked, "So what's your power anyway?"

She pulled her hand back to wiggle her fingers at him. "I can make sparkly fireworks. It may not sound bad, but you'd just better hope you don't tick me off. What about you?"

He nodded. "It's always the innocent sounding powers that are the worst. For me: sound waves. I can disrupt technology, make noises, or cloak sound and people if I need to."

She nodded, "That's pretty cool. So is the fairy lady your mother?"

He made a face. "Everybody—or should I say every girl—seems to think she's a fairy, but she's a lot more like an insect."

"A bug?" Jubilee made a face. "She certainly doesn't look like a bug."

"Well, you haven't seen her powers." Lee explained. "She emits this pollen stuff that she can blow on people. It slows them down and makes them really want to sleep."

Jubilee nodded. "What about my mother?"

"Your mother has one of the coolest powers I have ever seen. She can control the air around you—not just like wind and stuff, but the down to the very molecules. She explained it to us early on to help us understand why her class was so important to controlling our own powers. I guess it took her a long time to understand exactly what she could do with her powers. She really stresses the learning as a result. She should be able to help you figure out some stuff about yours, too."

Jubilee shrugged, "I guess I would rather be talking to her about things besides my powers."

He leaned back on the bed again, setting the album next to him. As he folded his arms behind his head to stare at the ceiling he murmured, "I can understand that. I don't think that would be my first topic of choice if my father were suddenly alive."

She smiled at him, realizing how lucky she was. Her mother was alive, no matter how shocking she found it. Lee wouldn't be that lucky, having actually buried his father. "What would you talk about? We haven't had time alone together yet, but I don't know what I would even say if we did. It's easy with Gambit. I already knew him."

Lee looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I guess I would want to talk about him, about what he would have wanted to do with me if he had been alive while I was growing up. I'd want to know what he liked to do for fun. What kind of trouble he got into at my age. Hell, I'd be happy just to know his favorite color."

Jubilee nodded. "I just can't imagine how I would start that conversation with her right now."

Lee considered that and nodded, "I guess your situation is a little different. I mean you don't really know anything about her while I've had years to wish I had known him. Do you remember her at all from when you were younger?"

Jubilee shook her head. "No, I thought I grew up with a different set of parents in California."

"A different set?" he asked. "What about Remy? You mean he hasn't even been with you?" When she shook her head, Lee began to laugh. "Oh man! I bet that pissed Aunt Leena off quite a bit. She has one hell of a temper."

Jubilee smiled, "She sure was." She looked at him, suddenly thinking of something. "How do you know about all of this? I mean Keesha didn't even know."

He tapped the album again. "I got this for my fifth birthday. I guess the whole family had a discussion and had to fight with my mom to get her to give it to me. They all pulled together different pictures they had to put it together. I haven't been allowed to show this to anyone. I only really look at it when I'm alone because I know it will just make everyone very sad." He looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back. "I have to say it has been nice to share it with someone else."

When she nodded and reached to pick it up again to look more closely at the pictures, he remained as he was, looking up at the ceiling. That sat in companionable silence, Lee thinking about what it would be like to have his father here, and Jubilee wondering what it would have been like to be raised with her biological parents.


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry about the delay, but summer travel has kept me from the computer. Here's a chapter to tide you over for now. Thanks to everyone following. I'll try to post another chapter later this week. R&R please. It keeps me going.

* * *

Chapter 16:

Jubilee was exhausted. She had spent her afternoon working with Lee, Keesha, and the other teenagers, spending time learning about each other and each individual's abilities. Then they had run the gauntlet of the training simulations. While she felt like she was in pretty good shape due to the drills that were run with the X Men, this had been more intense. It had become readily apparent that at home, her teachers took it easy on them. During the trainings so far, there had been little laughing or teasing. Instead, there had been mood of grim determination. She made her way down the hall toward one of the classrooms where the X Men were meeting. She was dressed in pair of Keesha's yoga pants and a tank. They were a little small on her, but it was the best she could have done on short notice. Violet had promised all of the students that their new uniforms would be ready in the next day or two. It had taken a lot of persistance to convince Keesha that she couldn't come, so the girl had gone off to go to bed. It was already past midnight, and Jubilee could feel every hour of the long day. She hadn't come close to adjusting to the time change yet.

Jubilee was tired and sore, and it was becoming clearer and clearer just what she had signed up for by staying. On top of everything, she felt sick to her stomach and had felt that way since it had been made clear during the trainings that the full team was not expected to return from the next mission. As she got to know each other person on the team, she had begun to wonder who would still be alive by the week's end. With the Ballenger Academy's experience with these mutants, death of loved ones just seemed to be part of the natural order of things. It made her realize how lucky she'd been so far as an X Man. She'd heard of loss of team members in the past, but she'd yet to have to deal with it personally.

She pushed open the door to the designated classroom to find Storm and Wolverine already assembled. Both were still in uniform, but Wolverine had pushed his mask off to hang down his back. They were idly chatting about the days events, and they paused in their conversation as Jubilee came in and slumped into a desk chair. She folded her arms on the desk and rested her face on them, only looking up when a hand rested on her shoulder.

Storm was smiling down at her. "Is everything all right, Jubilee?" Storm's voice was tentative, signaling that she was asking about more than just the training exercises. Jubilee nodded and put her head back down, mumbling into the desk top. "It's just a lot to deal with."

She heard Wolverine slide down from where he had been sitting on one of the desks to come over to her. "Hey, kid. You know we are here if you want to talk. Or if you want to go. If you want to go, I'll take you. Maybe we could check out some of those falling down castles or something."

She looked up in surprise to meet his eyes. He looked embarrassed to be even mentioning sight seeing. She smiled despite her exhaustion. "I'd like that," she said quietly.

"We could go this weekend." He prompted gruffly.

That's when she realized where the sudden interest in carting her around to tourist traps was coming from. "I thought that was when the attack was going to happen." When he shrugged and just looked away, she turned her gaze to Storm, who was watching without comment. "You don't think I should go," she accused both of them, though with no real heat. Instead, she just felt sad. "You don't think I'm ready."

Wolverine crossed his arms over his chest and turned away completely, not letting her read his face. Storm lowered herself into a seat next to Jubilee. "It isn't that, Jubilee. It's just that from what we've learned, the enemies will take a special interest in you because of your past and because of the specific grudge they are holding against your parents. It may be better if you're not there. No one wants you to be in such real danger."

She pushed her chair back and took a few steps away. She was too tired to be angry or upset. Instead, she turned back to them, tears brimming her eyes. She smiled at Storm and moved back to give her a quick hug, then she moved to Wolverine and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back. "Thank you both for worrying, but I can't miss this. I'm learning so much about my real past, and I feel like this is an important part to understanding a lot more of it. I think it's something I have to do."

They were silent for a few moments, until Wolverine slowly turned in her arms to hug her back. His eyes were a little misty, too, which surprised her more than anything. Storm was staring down at her hands silently. "Enough!" Jubilee exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. She poked Wolverine hard in the ribs and tried to grin up at him. "Don't think all this mushy stuff has gotten you off the hook. I fully expect a grand tour of Ireland once we're through here!"

Before he could reply, the door opened, admitting Gambit. He raised his eyebrows at the scene awaiting him. "Why all de long faces?" He asked as he made his way to where they were gathered, tossing his coat onto a table as he did so.

"Nothing. Wolverine just promised to take me sight seeing." Jubilee explained, moving away from Wolverine to wrap her arms around Gambit, wanting the physical contact now that she felt so emotional. Besides that, now that she knew he was her father, she felt mixed emotions every time she saw him. She figured hugging was the best way to get rid of some of that nervous energy. It was either that or zapping him, and she thought that might cause problems over time. He seemed surprised at first, but after a slight hesitation, he hugged her back, looking over her bowed head at the others.

Gambit ruffled his fingers through her hair. "I can see why dat would make you so sad, Petite. He would be no fun at all. Now if you want to have a good time, you go wit Gambit." She laughed against his chest, but it came out as more of a hiccup. He stroked her back until she stepped back to stand beside him so she could face the others again. His arm remained comfortably around her shoulders.

Wolverine moved to lean against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "So whatcha want us all here for, Cajun?"

Gambit lifted a hand to pull off the mask that framed his face, and then pushed the locks of hair that fell in his face back. "Since everybody round here already know what we be up against, I figure we can take some time to go over some tings."

As if on cue, the door swung open again, and Jaleena entered carrying a thick file folder. She paused to smile when she saw Gambit and Jubilee standing together and then continued across the room to the group. She was still in her uniform, but the hair she'd pulled back into a braid earlier in the day was now frizzing and causing several locks to fall around her face and neck. She'd discarded her cape, leaving her only in the white and silver armor. She set the folder onto one of the desks and smiled at each of them. "Remy said you wanted to know a little about Onyx and his crew." At their nods, she opened the folder and handed out the first photograph of a woman with bright pink hair who would have been pretty if not for the fact that a few spots on her face were scarred. "There are many of them, but this is his main team and officers. This is Terravin. She's been with Onyx for as long as we've known him. Her power lies in her blood, which is acidic." She looked pointedly at Wolverine. "If you cut her and get her blood on you, your healing factor would be going overtime to try to keep up with it's corrosive ability."

Storm considered the picture before looking back up at Jaleena and passing the photograph to Jubilee. "How is it that she's even still alive? It looks as if it burns her as well?

Jaleena shook her head, "Luckily for her, some of the cells in her body acts as a base, nullifying the effects while the blood is in her body. However, even she is susceptible to the acidic elements if she isn't able to treat the area immediately. She found out early in life that her saliva is one way to neutralize the blood."

Wolverine chuckled, "Gives a whole new meaning to 'kiss it and make it better,' huh?"

Jaleena smiled, reached for the next photograph, and handed it to Wolverine. The man in it was pale with dark hair. The bone structure of his face seemed to be too large for the skin, making him look drawn and almost zombie-like. She explained, "Wray. He's equipped with gills, allowing him to swim underwater indefinitely. It's allowed him to attack us undetected in the past, but his powers won't really be an issue when we attack." She gave them a moment to pass the photograph around. "However, that doens't meant he's harmless. He's an expert with a blade and isn't a bad hand with a gun either."

She shared another photograph, this time of a man with skin the color of dark chocolate and entirely white eyes. "This would be Eamon. He's able to commune with nature. He can't cause things to grow, but he can control plantlife around him." She grinned wryly. "You'd be suprised how far a tree's root system goes. He works often with Terravin. He incapacitates his prey and she finishes them off."

She pulled a final photograph out and stared down at it herself for a moment before handing it over. She sighed as she did so and her voice came out more quietly than before, losing the business-like quality, "And this is the root of all of our problems: Onyx." The man shown was short, barely hitting five foot in height, and he sat in a large recliner. His looks were completely unexceptional: medium brown hair, brown eyes, and a beard that was trimmed neatly. He even wore rounded wire-rimmed glasses.

Wolverine looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You mean this pipsqueak?"

Gambit stepped away from Jubilee to take the picture. "Don't underestimate him, mon ami. He be trickier den he looks." His fingers tightened on the photograph, causing it to begin to crumple in his grasp until Storm reached up to gently take it from him so that she could look more closely.

"What can he do?" Storm asked.

Jaleena pushed back some of the hair that crowded against her cheeks. "Light." When they looked at her in question, she went on. "He can control light in terms of absorbing it-all of it. I haven't been able to get close enough to fully study-"

"So he turns out the lights?" Wolverine interrupted, still unimpressed.

"I'm afraid it's more complicated than that. Even if you've been in a light tight room or deep enough underground to be at a point where there's no light, you still have access to your other senses, right?" When Storm and then Wolverine nodded, Jaleena continued. "With him it's different. First the lights go out, and then so does everything else. It's like you've been tossed into a complete void-no access to sight, smell, sound or even touch. It's maddening." She shuddered as if reliving a memory.

Gambit picked up where she left off. "De worse part is dat someone could kill you while you're just standing dere. If you try to keep fighting, you have as much of a chance as killing your own team members as actually hitting him. So you stand dere and don't feel a ting when he strikes you down." His lips pressed firmly together, his expression hard.

Jubilee spoke up for the first time. "Is that what happened to Lee's dad?" When everyone looked at her in surprise, she explained. "Crake, right? He was your best friend?" She addressed the question to Gambit, who nodded, but said nothing.

Jaleena took a tentative step toward her daughter, bringing herself closer to Gambit in the process. "Yes and no." She rested one hand on Gambit's arm, knowing this was likely when his questions about his friends' death would be answered. He pulled away and moved to sit down next to Storm. Jaleena took a deep breath and continued, closing her eyes painfully as she began to speak. "He went after Onyx and was able to get to him. It was just the two of them during the battle, and once Onyx 'turned out the lights,' Crake melted the room." She opened her eyes to look at each of the X Men. "He had the ability to increase the temperate of anything to its melting point-until it was like lava. He melted the entire room, sinking into it himself in the process." She shook her head. "He managed to submerge Onyx in the lava, and it ended up destroying his ability to use his legs. Onyx was rescued before he sank completely, but Crake was not so lucky." She met Gambit's eyes. "At least they returned his body to us. We buried him in Paris, and that's when we all came here." She wrapped her arms around herself and watched silently as Gambit stood and left the room.

There was silence for a few moments until Jaleena seemed to shake herself. She gathered the photographs and stacked them back in the folder, keeping her own gaze down. "It's late now, anyway. I'm sure everyone needs to get some sleep. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The others murmured a denial to the question, and she turned to walk out of the room.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Gambit still felt as if he were in shock when he got to his room. He went into the small attached bathroom to splash water on his face. _Crake was gone._ He moved back into the bedroom to sink down on the bed. As he lay back, he began to feel the grief wash over him, and he didn't fight it. He had found it curious that Crake had not been with the rest of the crowd when he arrived, but he had not thought that meant he was dead. In fact, he hadn't thought much about it at all since his attention had been focused on seeing Jaleena alive and well. How ironic that one person he thought was dead was, in fact, living, while one whom he though was living was actually dead. He laid motionless for several long minutes as he attempted to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be seeing his friend again.

He hadn't been laying there for very long before there was a knock on the door. He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling and seriously considered not answering it. When the knock was repeated, he pushed himself to his feet and rubbed his hands over his face as he moved to the door. Gambit was surprised to find Lee standing there with a nervous but resolute look on his face.

"Hi," Lee said, "I was hoping that we could talk."

Gambit stared down at him for a moment, wondering what would bring a teenage boy to talk at nearly 2 a.m., and then he opened the door wider and gestured into the room. He guessed it wasn't all that late for a teen. Lee quickly moved to sit down in one of the arm chairs adjacent to the bed. Gambit sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Lee expectantly. "It be pretty late to be having a chat," he commented.

Lee bobbed his head. "Well, I knew you had only gotten back now, so I wanted to come right over before you went to sleep."

Gambit's brows drew together, "How you know Remy was back?"

Lee tilted his head. "I was listening for your door."

"So you hear dis one door over any of de others, from de other side of de building?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, Jubilee told me that I should come talk to you," he said, "Well she said I _could_ come talk to you, that you would help me. I know that you were my father's best friend. I was hoping you could tell me more about him. My mom...He's not something she talks about."

Gambit was at a loss for words, feeling even sadder to hear that Violet didn't share her memories with the boy. The timing wasn't great to be having this conversation, but he could hardly send the boy away. Running his hand over his face again, Gambit began to speak. "Dat I can do. Your daddy and I meet soon after I get to Paris. Remy had only been in town a day or two when Crake came across his path." He smiled in memory, "We were in de same line of work."

Lee grinned. "I heard that you picked each other's pockets."

Gambit's smile widened. He was glad to know that he wouldn't have to gloss over some of the details of their past. "Dat's right," Gambit said, "We were in a pretty big marketplace and bump into each other. Don't know why we even pick each other as marks." He shrugged. "Fate, maybe. Anyway, we be friends right off de bat, and for some reason Remy trust your father from de start. Remy be honest with you: it rare for him to trust anyone, especially at dat time."

Lee nodded, so he continued. "We work together for a month or so before he invite me to live with de rest of dem. Everybody was real welcoming. Well except maybe for your mother. She don't like me much at de start."

Lee grinned and said, "She's still like that."

Gambit shrugged. "She warm up eventually. Your daddy be one of de most unique people I ever meet. He never seem to let anyting get him down, and he do de same for anyone else in de family, too. He got a knack for looking at de bright side and helping other people see it, too. Anytime anyting go wrong, he immediately focus on a solution. He was de one who kept everyone together when tings got really bad." He met Lee's eyes. "Remy don't know what he would have done if Crake hadn't been dere for him when he lost his family."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and a few seconds later Jaleena pushed the portal open without waiting to be invited. She seemed surprised to find Lee there. "Lee," she said warningly, "It is way past the time when you should be asleep."

He rolled his eyes, but he stood up and looked down at Gambit. "Can we talk again later?" When Gambit nodded, he headed for the door, stopping to give his aunt an obligatory hug before he stepped out the door and pulled it closed behind him.

Gambit rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted, but it looked like he was going to have visitors tonight whether he wanted them or not. Jaleena continued standing at the door and just observed him for a few moments. When she spoke, she said, "I hope he didn't bother you. I doubt he knew that you just found out."

Gambit shook his head. "No. It be okay. It help a little...to talk about him. Crake be...he was a great man."

Jaleena nodded, looking down at the coat he'd left in the classroom. "I wanted to return this," she explained, "And I wanted to make sure that you were okay. We've all had a lot more time to adjust to him not being here. I know it must be a terrible shock; I know how close the two of you were."

Gambit shook his head. "Remy just real tired, Leena. No more talkin' tonight."

She nodded her understanding and set the coat on the table by the door. She gave him a weak smile and turned to leave. She paused with her hand on the knob and turned to look over her shoulder at him. Quietly, she asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

He looked at her for a moment as he considered the question. Finally, he nodded. Without saying anything else, she walked to the other side of the bed and pulled off her boots. She leaned forward to pull off the armor plates from her uniform leaving her only in the white spandex bodysuit. He watched her silently for a moment before removing his own footwear.

"You goin to sleep in dat?" he asked.

Jaleena rolled her eyes at his half-hearted attempt at flirting. "You know that wasn't what I was offering."

Gambit lifted one shoulder in a shrug and smiled at her, but it only held a ghost of his usual charm. "A man gotta at least try when de opportunity present itself." He stood to pull his shirt over his head and removed his knee and shin guards. He tried grinning at her again as he stood only in the tight spandex pants. "You sure you can restrain yourself, chere or you want me to put someting else on?"

She smiled at him as she unwound her hair from the messy braid. Holding her arms out to him in welcome, she teased back. "I promise to do my best to behave." Without another word, he freed his own hair and slid between the sheets where she held him until he fell asleep.

* * *

When Jaleena woke up the next morning, she found herself half draped over her husband. Her upper torso and head were pillowed on his chest and his arms were still wrapped around her in sleep. Carefully, she pushed herself up just enough so that she could look down at his face. His features were relaxed, making him look much younger. She could easily see the the boy he used to be when they had first met. For some reason, it made her feel sad and a little guilty. They had missed so much time, and she still blamed herself. Slowly stretching upward, she pressed a very light kiss on his stubbled jaw.

Gambit's lips curved into a grin. "A man could you get use to being wake up like dat." Jaleena flushed in embarrassment. She moved to sit up and get out of the bed, but he held her firmly against him. When she wiggled again to move away, he placed one hand on the side of her head and firmly pressed it down against his chest again. "Don't ruin de moment, chere."

"You should have let me know you were awake," she grumbled as she settled back down against him again, feeling his answering chuckle rumble through his chest. After a moment of awkwardness, she allowed herself to relax and followed his advice to enjoy the moment. Without realizing it, she sighed in contentment, making him laugh again. He slowly moved one hand up and down her back. It had been a long time since she'd been held cuddled against a man.

"Tank you for being here, Leena," Gambit murmured softly. She nodded against his chest and closed her eyes again. She was just beginning to drift off to sleep when someone began to pound at his door. She heard him curse, something about having his fill of uninvited visitors.

"Come back later," Gambit called out. Jaleena giggled against his chest, keeping her face buried there.

"Come on, Gambit!" yelled Jubilee through the door. "Everyone else has been done eating breakfast for an hour, and you are supposed to be training with me today."

Jaleena sat bolt upright in the bed. Looking panicked, and she quickly jumped out of the bed with her hair flying around her. Comically, she looked around the room as if trying to find a place to hide. "Just a minute, Petite," he said, "Gambit need to dress."

"Euww," she responded grumpily, "T.M.I."

"What are you so worried about?" he whispered to Jaleena as he tugged on the armored bottoms to his uniform.

She paused long enough to glare at him, then she hissed. "She's my daughter, Remy! And she just met me! I don't want her thinking that I just jumped in bed with you."

He grinned and pushed his hair back over his shoulders . "Well it not like she wouldn't understand dat."

Leena just rolled her eyes and finally settled on ducking into the bathroom and pulling the door closed quietly. Gambit was just pulling his shirt over his head as he open the door to his irate daughter. "Can't a man sleep in?" He grumbled as he showed her into the room.

Jubilee moved into the room and begin to prowl around, seeming agitated. "Well you can sleep in any day you want, but not on a day when you're partnered with me for training. I have a lot of work to do to be ready for this weekend, and I fully intend on pulling my weight in that fight." Finally ceasing her pacing, she perched on the far side of the bed, staring down at her feet. "Besides, I don't want you and Jaleena to have to worry about me. I want to be able to take care of myself. So no going easy on me today, alright?"

He sighed, and picked up a band to pull his hair back into its traditional ponytail. Unconsciously, he moved to stand in front of the bathroom door. "I know you be capable of taking care of yourself, Petite, but dere be not'ing to do to keep us from worryin'. Dat's what parents do."

She shrugged still staring down at the floor and tapping the toes of her boots together. "So," she asked almost too casually, "Have you seen Jaleena? She wasn't at breakfast either."

Gambit began pulling on his armored guards. "Gambit no seen her since the meeting last night," he lied smoothly. "Maybe she sleep in, too."

Jubilee made a non-committal sound, her eyes flickering from him, to the bathroom door, and then back down at the floor. "I guess. She was supposed to be paired up with Wolverine today. I bet he was looking for her."

"Well den," Gambit said reasonably, "Why don't Jubilee work wit' Wolv'rine, and Gambit work wit' your mother."

Abruptly, Jubilee bounced up off of the bed, a rather large smile on her face as she walked towards the door. "That sounds like a fantastic idea! I'll see you later!" With those parting words, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and was gone, slamming the door closed behind her and leaving Gambit looking a bit dazed by her sudden exit.

Carefully, Jaleena peered her around the edge of the door and sighed in relief when she saw the coast was clear. "So I guess we're working together today," she said, not sounding exactly pleased about that fact.

Wearing only one boot, Gambit gestured towards bed. "Remy sure dat we can get a good workout right here." He leered at her, seeming much more like his old self.

Jaleena just shook her head at him in exasperation (though it was obvious she was fighting a grin), "Lebeau, you just never give up!" She moved back into the bathroom to splash some water on her face and wet her tangled curls. "I'll meet you in the training area in ten minutes."

* * *

**Author's note-hope you've enjoyed the latest chapter! Please leave a review! I promise the next one will give you some Jubes-Wolvie time. Watch for a quick one-shot to come out this week as well. I've had a request to see Gambit's reaction to becoming a father. I hope to have it up in the next day or so-it's called "Fatherhood."**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Jubilee dashed down the hallway, popping her head into different rooms in search of Wolverine. She finally found him in the cafeteria. He was sitting in uniform, but his mask was hanging down his back. He had his chair balanced on two legs, and his feet propped up on the table. He was idly slicing bite-sized pieces off of an apple with one claw. He only raised an eyebrow when she raced into the room, skidding past his table until she grabbed a chair to sit in. She wore her own clothing today, accessorized with a huge grin.

"What's up, kid?" he asked her curiously before he popped another piece of apple into his mouth.

"We get to practice together!" She sounded excited, more excited than he expected her to be about running drills.

Wolverine only ate another piece of apple, not moving from his lounging position. "I thought you were workin' with yer dad," he grunted. He cut a chunk of the apple and tossed it to her.

She caught it and popped it into her mouth. Still grinning, and she nodded in response. Talking around the apple in her cheek, she explained, "Yep! And you were supposed to be sparring with my mom, buuuttt..." she drew the word out as she swallowed the apple and pushed to her feet again. "Now they're going to partner up, so that means it's you and me!" She kicked one foot out to knock the back legs of the chair as she turned and dashed outside.

Wolverine barely caught himself from falling, but the chair wasn't so lucky as it crashed onto the floor. He growled and watched Jubilee disappear, her bright yellow coat waving behind her like a flag. His growl abruptly broke off into a chuckle as he took a final bite from the apple and tossed the core into one of the garbage bins as he took off after her. She was waiting for him in the grassy yard outside, already braced for an attack. He slowed his jog to a leisurely walk until he stopped a few feet away from her. He did not lower himself into a crouch as she was expecting, instead bracing his hands on his hips as if waiting for her to take the initiative to attack.

When Jubilee remained in her defensive stance and didn't take the bait, he asked, "So I hope yer not readin' too much into that, kiddo. They probably just haven't had a chance to see what the other's capable of after all these years. I know they're yer parents and this is all new, but don't go gettin' yer hopes up."

Jubilee grinned, clenching and unclenching her fists and squeezing her eyes closed as she focused her energy. "Oh, don't worry. I think my expectations are pretty warranted. It's not like I expect them to get back together and have us all live happily ever after..." She waited one beat before saying very softly, "I wish..."

Naturally, Wolverine's sharp senses easily picked up on her wistful words, and he took a step toward her, looking concerned. Jubilee took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut even more tightly. "Now Jubilee-" was all he managed to get out before she blasted him with an explosion of sparkling plasma. It sent him hurtling back into a tree, hitting it hard enough to cause some of the pieces of bark to shower down around him. He flinched in surprise when he realized that the force of the impact had snapped a couple of his ribs.

When he looked up at her, Jubilee still stood with her eyes squeezed closed and her hands outstretched. He groaned as he got to his feet, pressing his hand against his ribcage to hold the broken pieces in place as they healed. "Pretty impressive, kid," he managed to grumble at her.

Jubilee opened one eye to look at him. When she saw he was standing and holding his side, she dropped her hands and opened both eyes to smile again. "Wasn't it?" She asked, obviously excited. "I've been working on focusing more. A couple of the kids here have been helping me."

He grunted, rubbing his side as he felt the bones fuse back together. He lifted his arms, grimacing a bit at the tenderness, to pull his mask over his head. Honestly, he was happy to see she was finally taking her powers and her training more seriously. If she was serious about being part of the upcoming battle, it would be important that she be at the top of her game. "Now you ready to play fair?"

Jubilee grinned in response and slid her pink sunglasses into place. "Isn't the saying 'all's fair in love and war?'"

Wolverine just chuckled and lowered himself into a crouch, biding his time as he waited to launch himself at her. "So what is this?" he asked,"Love or War?"

Jubilee grinned back. "From what I've seen, there's a whole lotta love around here." She seemed to be expecting him to pounce, so she only narrowed her eyes when his claws came out accompanied by the familiar "Snnkkt" sound. She slowly took several steps backward to move herself out of range.

When he did leap toward her, she was able to dance out of the way, raising her hands again to shoot in his general direction. He easily dodged, and they resumed their defensive stances, each eyeing the other.

"Seriously, kid," he continued, picking up the conversation. "I don't think you should put too much stock in them spendin' time together. Take them each for what they are. People change after bein' apart for that long. Ya can't count on them forgettin' everything they've been through and kissin' and makin' up."

Jubilee's focused look transformed back into the huge grin. "Yes, well. Like I said before, I know what I'm talking about this time." She snickered, "Kissing isn't the only way they've been making up!"

His face showed his surprise, having seen nothing happen between Jaleena and Gambit to give that impression. If anything, they'd seemed distant, and Jaleena seemed to go out of her way to ignore the Cajun. Despite her attempt to distract him again, Wolverine was prepared when she shot another focused round of plasma in his direction. He raised his claws to deflect the majority of the hit, but he wasn't expecting her to launch herself at him, feet first, at the same time. One blue booted foot caught him in the shoulder, but he was able to grab her by the waist as she sailed past him in the air, and he body slammed her into the ground, landing on top of her. Jubilee felt the air whoosh out of her lungs as they landed, her sunglasses bouncing off her face and into the grass. He seemed unaffected by the rough landing and straddled her waist, his hands holding her arms flat against the ground.

"Oh yeah," he asked, "And what makes ya think that's true?"

Jubilee grinned, flexing her fingers as she focused her energy again, not realizing that the focus caused her eyes to change colors. She pressed her hands flat against the ground and explained, "Oh, that's easy. I just came from Gambit's room, and it sure looked like the two of them had a sleepover."

Jubilee doubted her plan would have worked if she hadn't caught him off guard with the news (or it could have been the surprise of seeing her the normally white part of her eyes go black), but his hold on her loosened for just a second, long enough for her to blast the ground beneath her, the ricochetting force sending the two of them bouncing up off the ground, allowing her to easily reverse positions. She laughed, slightly out of breath from the efforts of the fight, and made herself comfortable enough to sit cross-legged on his chest. He just looked up at her, still surprised by the fact that she'd managed to best him twice in the short amount of time. She smiled triumphantly down at him and explained, "Yeah, I know. I was totes surprised, too. I didn't even think they were still into each other, but when I went to his room this morning, it was obvious he hadn't been sleeping alone. The bed was totally messed up. Then, I noticed that my mom's boots and some of her other clothes were laying on the floor next to the bed. I think she must have still been there." Jubilee laughed as a thought struck her. "Maybe she was hiding under the bed!"

Wolverine just frowned up at her, not bothering to flip her off of him at this point. He was far more interested in what she was saying, and how she was reacting to it. "And yer okay with that?"

"Her hiding under the bed?" Jubilee asked, distracted. She paused to consider that and then shook her head and continued on. "No. She had to be somewhere else. Possibly in the bathroom. Gambit was standing in front of the bathroom door quite a bit, so that's probably where she was." Jubilee rolled her eyes. "It was soooo obvious."

Wolverine sat up slowly, carefully nudging her to sit in the grass beside him. He was scowling, and he managed to mumble something very quietly about the location of Gambit's brains. Jubilee elbowed him in the ribs to get his attention back. "It's not a big deal. I guess they're still kinda married, right?"

He grunted in response, and they both sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of the ocean in the distance. "You really okay with all this?" he finally asked. "I mean if you want to talk about it, we can..."

She thought for a few more moments before nodding. "Nah. It's okay. I mean, I guess I had to come from somewhere, right?" When he just looked disturbed by her comment, she shot back to her feet. "Well, let's get back to work. You're not tired already, are you old man?"

* * *

Later that afternoon:

Jaleena hit the mat hard, landing on her side and skidding a bit. Grimacing, she rubbed at her cheek, sure that a brush burn was already forming. Distracted by the pain, she was only able to dodge the next attack at the last second. She rolled to the side to avoid Gambit's bo staff slamming into the spot on the mat where her head had been resting. She was relieved at least that it hit the floor with a normal amount of force, reassuring her that he was still playing by the rules: no mutant powers.

As he lifted the bo to swing it at her again, she rolled a few more times on the mat to get herself in position to sweep a leg under his feet in an attempt to knock him over. Her foot barely caught one of his ankles as he attempted to leap over her sweep. He managed to only fall to one knee, which gave her enough time to spring back to her feet. He grinned at her as they reestablished their fighting stances. She just winked in return, enjoying the exercise as much as he was.

The next time he swung the staff at her head, she leaned backwards so that it flew over her. As he was bringing it back around for another jab, she managed to catch it, and instead of pulling it toward her as he expected, she pushed it toward him to knock him off balance, also spinning around and moving toward him, managing to hit his chest with her back and flip him over her. It served the purpose of sending him flying and leaving the bo in her hands, but, ever agile, Gambit was able to easily flip in the air to land in a crouch.

She swung the bo a few times, manuevering it from hand to hand to gauge the weight; it was much heavier than one she would have chosen for herself. He approached her again, this time using his fists. She deflected each blow with the staff, but the heavy weight made it easy for him to knock her off balance by suddenly grasping it in the middle and pushing hard. The end result was her landing hard on her back with him on top of her, the bo and their hands trapped between them.

She let out a frustrated breath that ruffled the messy auburn hair hanging around his face, and his lips curved in triumph. She moved her gaze from his laughing eyes to those lips, and she knew he had noticed when the grin widened, showing a flash of white teeth. She shook her head to herself and looked back up into his eyes, which slowly became more serious. Jaleena's breath caught in her throat when Gambit leaned down to kiss the bruise on her cheek before pulling back enough to meet her gaze again. He waited just a few seconds before he lowered his head again to brush his lips softly over hers. When he spoke, his voice was soft, "Why we fightin' dis, chere?"

Jaleena's throat felt tight and dry, so she had to swallow a few times before she responded. The attraction was always there, and it only seemed to be intensifying the longer she tried to ignore it. Why were they fighting it? She wasn't sure she remembered the answer anymore, especially when she could feel the weight of his body pressing hers into the mat. She had only managed to begin to murmur his name when the door to the room slammed open. They both turned to find Ore standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. She took a moment to take in their position. "So it's true!" She exclaimed, shaking her head regretfully, her expression clearly disapproving. "You are sleeping together again. Like things weren't complicated enough..."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Jaleena dashed down the hall after Ore, and Gambit wasn't far behind her. "Laurel, what are you talking about? Wait! Laurel, would you just wait?" She finally caught up with her friend and grabbed her arm to stop her.

Ore turned around to glare at Jaleena and then at Gambit. When she stubbornly pressed her lips together and just looked back and forth between the two of them as if waiting for them to explain themselves, Gambit decided she definitely had the school headmistress disapproval down pat. He finally spoke, "Now Laurel, maybe you can tell us what you tink you be talkin' about? Leena and Remy aren't...we haven't..." He sighed, "We just haven't." He sounded exasperated by the very subject.

Ore just shook her head, her long brown braid bouncing against her back. "Well, you can deny it all you want, but it's all anyone's been talking about this afternoon. The students are distracted, Bruce took off and isn't responding to anyone, and Jubilee..." she sighed.

"Jubilation?" Jaleena's eyes widened in alarm. "She's heard this rumor, too?"

Ore laughed. "Heard about it? Leena, she's the one who has been spreading it!"

When Jaleena and Gambit just looked at each other, their faces mirrors of surprise and perhaps a little embarrasment, Ore jerked her arm free from her best friend's grip. "Listen, I don't know what's going on with you two, and I know it isn't the time to play counselor, but you both need to figure this out and set things straight with her. She's just a teenager, and she just found out you were her parents. Now she's referring to you like you're a couple when you're insisting you're not." She paused as they turned wary gazes back to her. "Leena, you can't get her hopes up. She's going to think you're going to be going home with her..." she jerked a thumb in Gambit's direction, "...with him."

Jaleena nodded, swallowing hard. She lifted her hands to smooth her hair back from her face. Gambit put a hand on her shoulder, feeling a bit sick to his stomach as he thought of the repercussions of the rumor and the conversation they were going to have to have with Jubilee. Jaleena looked down at the floor and shook her head before looking back up at her husband and then at her friend, "Where is she Laurel? Jubilation-I should go speak with her."

Laurel reached out to squeeze Jaleena's other shoulder. "The last I saw, all the kids were in the rec room watching some reality TV marathon. Good luck, Leena. Just be honest. That's the best thing you can give to her."

Jaleena nodded and started down the hall. Gambit tried to give Ore a carefree smile, but he knew he failed miserably. He followed after Jaleena down the hall to their daughter.

When they pushed the door open into the room, they got the immediate attention of every teenager in the room. There were a few whispers before the whistles and catcalls started. Jaleena's spine stiffened noticably and she turned to point to the door. "Everyone out. I need to speak with Jubilation, please." There were a few teasing "uh oh's" sent in Jubilee's direction, and one of the boys punched her in the shoulder as he passed by her. Jubilee just rolled her eyes, a happy smile on her face the entire time. She was thrilled to see the two of them together, no matter how grim they appeared. She figured she was just in trouble for making the announcement before they did.

Jaleena ignored the teasing from the students as they drifted past-including the "Way to go, mom!" Keesha called as she headed out of the room. Even if she was dying to know what was going to happen, Keesha knew her mother well enough to not want to stick around for the lecture. She figured Jubilee would fill her in later.

As the room was emptying out, Gambit moved over to turn off the television before sitting on the couch opposite the one Jubilee was lounging on. After closing the door behind the last student, Jaleena moved over to join him. She cleared her throat and sat as far as she could from Gambit; they both looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Gambit spoke up, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Listen, Petite, Gambit don't know what you tink you seen dis morning, but it wasn't what you be tinkin' it was."

Jubilee just grinned. "Well, I think it was pretty obvious."

Gambit shook his head, and Jaleena spoke up. "It wasn't. Jubilation, your father and I. We aren't together. We weren't together last night, at least not in the way you were thinking." Gambit nodded his agreement.

Jubilee's brows drew together in puzzlement. "But you were there this morning. I saw your clothes and shoes next to the bed."

Jaleena flushed, "Yes, but we hadn't done...well, we hadn't done _anything_. At least not that you're thinking. It was late when we finished talking, so I just stayed there." She sighed, completely out of her element to have to be defending her (nonexistant) sex life in the first place and even more uncomfortable about doing so with her daughter. She pushed at her hair again, standing and pacing to the other side of the room in frustration.

Jubilee watched her for a moment before looking back at Gambit, her confusion showing on her face. "I don't think it matters if you guys did it or not really. I mean isn't her staying in your room a big deal in and of itself? And if it isn't a big deal, why did you hide the fact she was there?"

Gambit leaned back, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Listen, petite. We don't want you to get de wrong idea. Your mom and I..." He paused a minute to look at Jaleena, who was watching him carefully as she chewed on her thumb nail as she paced. "We just be friends, Jubilee. Dere be nothin' else between us. When dis all be over, it be just you and me again."

Jubilee frowned, shaking her head in denial. She looked back at Jaleena as she clenched her hands into fists. "That isn't true, is it? You're just going to disappear out of my life again?"

Jaleena swiftly moved back to perch on the couch next to Jubilee, gathering her daughter's hands in her own, even though the girl tried to tug them free. "No! Of course not, Jubilation. I can't imagine doing that. Now that I've found you, I want to-" she paused, "I hope that you'll let me be a part of your life permanently."

Jubilee calmed down visibly, and let her fingers lace through her mother's. "I want that, too." She looked over at Gambit, who had relaxed back against the sofa and had a sentimental smile on his face as he watched them. "I don't understand though. Why can't we all go back together? I mean there's a lot of room at the mansion. She and Keesha would have a place to stay."

Gambit shook his head, looking a bit sad. "It ain't dat easy, mon fille."

Frustrated, Jubilee stared down at her hands joined with her mother's. After a moment of silence stretched across the room, she looked back at Gambit to ask, "Is it because of Rogue?"

Jaleena looked at Gambit curiously, "Rogue?"

Gambit suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had shot up. A wave of guilt washed over him as he realized he hadn't thought of Rogue once since he'd arrived. He shook his head at Jubilee, "Non, it be more complicated den dat."

Jaleena squeezed Jubilee's fingers as she attempted to explain, "You have to realize that it's been a long time since your father and I have seen each other. We have changed a lot in that time. We're not the same people."

Stubbornly, Jubilee pressed her lips together, "But you're still married, right? So does that mean you're gonna get a divorce?"

Jaleena sucked in her breath, surprised by the fact that the idea felt like a knife twisting in her gut. "I..." She trailed off, not at all sure how to answer the question. She purposely stared at her daughter to avoid looking at Gambit, but Jubilee was looking expectantly back and forth between them.

Gambit was saved from having to answer the question as Lee burst into the room, one hand held to his head as if he were in pain. He stumbled over toward them, crashing into Gambit, who had jumped to his feet to offer the boy support. "I have a message," he said, his eyes watering from the pain in his head. "It's from Onyx. He's blasting it across every frequency." He groaned in pain.

Jaleena gripped Jubilee's hands tighter, her eyes meeting Gambit's as they waited for Lee to explain.

Lee looked sadly at the woman he'd considered an aunt for all of his life. "He says he loves family reunions. He doesn't want to-" he stopped to groan and clutch his head. If Gambit hadn't been holding him up, he would have crumpled to the ground. "He says, he doesn't want to miss all the fun. He's throwing a party for the whole family tomorrow evening." He turned his watery gaze to Jubilee. "He expects us all to be there."

* * *

Author's note: I hope you've all been enjoying the story so far, but we're getting near the close. Keep the PMs and reviews coming! I love hearing from you.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Jaleena stood silently along the side of the room, watching the children she had taught and raised for years laugh and tease each other as they all tried on their new uniforms. They were a variety of colors, each student having picked their own ensemble. She was unsurprised to see Keesha and Jubilee had picked similar colors and that Lee had gone for black leather with accents of a deep red. In contrast, Keesha and Jubilee's colors were bright: orange, blue, and yellow. Each uniform was form-fitting, though Keesha had asked to have a skirt added to hers that was reminiscent of one an ice skater would wear. The main piece for both of their outfits was a sunny yellow, and Keesha had orange boots, skirt, and a piece that stretched up her neck and around her head, leaving a spot near the top of her head for her hair, still braided and beaded, to pull through. The armored pieces on her chest, forearms, and knees were a darker orange. Jubilee's outfit was very similar except it was blue, and she hadn't wanted anything on her head, so the neck piece was more like a tight turtle neck. She had pulled her yellow trench coat on top of the outfit, and had even managed to find a pair of blue shades to wear instead of her pink ones. They were teasing each other about the tight spandex and were even more aggressive with their comments to Lee, who was obviously uncomfortable in anything so form-fitting. It was rare to see him in anything besides baggy jeans.

Leena looked up when she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement as Storm walked by her to join Gambit and Wolverine on the other side of the room. Jubilee left her friends with a wave so that she stood with the X-Men, leaving Lee to pull Keesha close and begin whispering fiercely in her ear. Everyone's attention was brought to the front of the room as Ore began to speak.

"All right, everyone. I'm glad to see you all suited up," She smiled at the students and gave them a thumbs up. "You all look spectacular, and while I know we haven't had time to test them out, we'll have to trust in Violet's genius and skills." She began clapping in the direction of her friend, and everyone else joined suit. Violet blushed in pleasure. From the corner of her eye, Jaleena saw Lee and Keesha slip out of the room. She frowned but tried to refocus on what Ore was saying. "...and we have to be flexible with our plan. I know we thought we had a few more days, but it looks like tomorrow is going to be it."

The mood of the room turned more serious when Ore paused for that to sink in. "I know everyone is eager to get out there, but it's important that we remain in our teams and work together. There will be a captain of each team, and everyone is expected to follow commands so that we work together rather than against each other. You should all know this from our tactical planning course, but I'm just reminding you that this is where that all comes into play. We will all need to be team-minded to be successful." She went on to outline teams. Leena already knew she, Remy, Keesha, and Jubilee were on a team because she had requested it, explaining to Laurel that she wouldn't be able to function if her family wasn't all together where she could see them. The other X-Men and teachers were distributed in three other teams with the students spread out within them.

"Questions? Anyone?" Ore asked. When she was met with a somber silence, she nodded grimly. "The least we can hope for is some element of surprise, so we will leave at dawn. That means everyone should head to bed now. You'll need your rest for tomorrow."

Everyone filed out of the room. The excitement of the students was dampened, but it was still there, humming below the surface. This would be their first real opportunity to see what they could do with their powers. Across the room, she watched Remy slide an arm around Jubilee's shoulder as they headed toward the door. She was grinning up at him as he complimented her new outfit. Jaleena turned and headed out as well, deciding it was time to find out what Lee and Keesha were up to.

She was surprised to come close to literally running into Lee as she headed down the hall toward her daughter's room. It was unusual for him to be distracted enough not to hear someone coming. He looked up at her in surprise and then impulsively hugged her. It caught her off guard for a moment, and then she wrapped her arms around him. When he drew back, he looked so serious and so much like his father that she felt her throat tighten. "Be careful tomorrow, Lee. Stick near FireStar, do you understand?" He nodded, said goodnight, and headed down the hall toward his own room where his mother undoubtedly waited.

Jaleena rubbed her hands up and down her arms, feeling a bit chilled as she continued down the hall to knock on Keesha's door. When the girl called out, Jaleena opened the door and was surprised to find her getting into bed. She grinned. "So you're listening to Laurel and getting your rest?" she asked as she went to sit on the side of the bed.

Keesha nodded, she looked more serious than usual as well. Jaleena leaned forward to hug her. "I'm proud of you, Key. Tomorrow is a big day, and I want you to promise me that you'll be careful. You've still got Miriam's invisibility to protect yourself?" When Keesha nodded, Jaleena tucked the covers around her as she used to when she was a child. "I mean it. No risk-taking." At her nod, she bent to kiss her on the forehead before standing and heading to the door. With one last look over her shoulder, she turned out the lights and went across the hall to her own room, knowing she'd need her rest as well.

Unfortunately, sleep did not seem to want to cooperate with Jaleena's plans. She tossed and turned for two hours before she finally gave up. She sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed at her eyes. Resting her head in her hands, she weighed the consequences of the question that had been weighing in her mind since she'd laid down.

With a sigh, she gave into what she considered to be the inevitable and stood up to go into the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes and turned the shower on hot, taking a long time to just stand under the spray in an attempt to work some of the tension out of her body. She shampooed and conditioned her hair twice and shaved, and then took her time applying the lavender-scented lotion Violet had got her for Christmas that year. She brushed her teeth, dried her hair, and plucked a few stray hairs from her eyebrows. She stood for several minutes examining herself in the steamy mirror, occasionally raising a finger to trace a worry line or crease in her once-flawless skin. After a lot of consideration, she applied a light coating of mascara to her eyelashes and some lightly-tinted lip gloss. She pulled on her robe and moved back into her bedroom and toward the door. She had taken her time getting ready to give herself plenty of opportunities to change her mind and crawl back into bed. With one hand on the knob, she paused and searched within herself to see if she had any reservations about what she was about to do. When she found herself still determined, she stepped out into the hall.

By sending small pulses of air in front of her and gauging their rebound time, she was able to avoid running into anyone in the hall. Once she reached the door she was looking for, she turned the knob and found it locked. Using her powers, she manipulated the lock, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. She closed and relocked the door before turning to find Gambit standing in the doorway to the bathroom. It looked like he had just gotten out of the shower as well. There were still drops of water on his shoulders and chest, and he had a white towel wrapped around his waist. When she met his dark gaze, he raised an eyebrow at her.

She smiled nervously, "I see I'm not the only one who has been having problems sleeping." He nodded, and she moved toward him, looking into the bathroom and seeing that he had been in the process of preparing to shave. She slid past him to pick up the straight razor that rested on the sink, running her thumb across the edge and finding it extremely sharp. When he stepped behind her, she could feel the heat radiating from his body, and it caused her to clumsily drop the razor into the sink of warm water. She cleared her throat and spoke, "I wanted to talk with you...about tomorrow. Sit down; I think I remember how to do this."

He moved to sit on the closed lid of the toilet and looked up at her and then at the razor laying in the sink. "You goin' to be able to calm down enough to do it wit'out damagin' me?" He teased.

She smiled and purposefully took a deep breath, let it out, and then held up her hands, which didn't shake at all. "I'm solid." She picked up the lathering brush on the edge of the sink to smooth some of the warm lather onto his face, feeling her stomach tighten as his eyes remained on hers while she was doing so. She allowed herself to smile as she looked at him and his white, fluffy beard. She turned to dry the blade on a towel and took a step closer to stand between his spread knees. Carefully, she scraped the blade down his cheek. As she swished the blade in the sink of water, he asked softly, "So what you want to tell Remy, chere?"

She carefully drew the blade a second time along his cheek, her eyes flickering up to meet his and then returning to her work. "I thought we'd talk about tomorrow." She paused as she rinsed the blade before placing a finger under his chin to tilt it up so she could slide the razor along the edge of his jaw. "I wanted to say that I'm glad we're doing it together this time." He only nodded, so she continued, turning to rinse the blade again. "I want us to watch out for the girls, and I want you to be careful. I can't imagine what it would be like for Jubilee to lose you at this point."

Remy caught the hand holding the blade to prevent her from continuing her work, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "...or to lose her mama." She held his gaze for a moment and nodded. When he released her hand she shifted position slightly to begin working on the other side of his face, the movement causing her bare leg to brush against his bare thigh. When she moved back hastily, stumbling, his hands moved up to grasp her hips to steady her. He raised an eyebrow, and she blushed before clearing her throat and resuming the shave. He left his hands on her hips, and she could feel the heat radiating through the thin material of her robe. She had forgotten that his temperature regularly ran higher than normal due to the constant flux of kinetic energy running through his body. His skin had always been hot to the touch.

She worked in silence for a few moments as she struggled to find a way to broach the next topic. During that time, she finished his other cheek and had to step closer between his knees to scrape the blade along his neck. She could feel his fingers flex on her hips. "Remy, if anything were to happen to me tomorrow, I want to know that I don't have any regrets."

He frowned, leaning away from her. "Dat sound ominous." His eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "You ain't tinkin' of playin' de martyr again, are you?."

She shook her head, bending at the knees to shave the area under his chin. "No. It's not like that at all." She worked on his chin, carefully moving the blade against the slight cleft in his chin. As she spoke, her voice became sharper, "I am already angry about having lost 15 years of my life to that bastard. I won't risk losing even a day more." When she grasped his chin to hold him still while she worked on his lip, he obligingly pulled his upper lip taunt. When she spoke again, her voice was soft, "I don't want to regret not apologizing to you." She paused to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry that I let it happen - any of it: whether we're talking about Blackwood, or taking off on my own, or staying away for so long. Most of all, I'm sorry that it was Laurel and not me that told you the truth and brought you here. It wasn't fair to not let you be a part of the decision I made that night. When we married, I swore that we'd be partners, and I didn't live up to my end of the bargain." They looked at each other for a long moment, before he nodded in acceptance of the apology.

Jaleena rinsed the blade one last time, placing her fingers on either side of his face to examine it for any areas that she might have missed. When she tried to take a step away to grab a towel, his fingers tightened, keeping her positioned where she was, so she had to stretch to reach it. She carefully patted his face, removing any leftover lather. She picked up his aftershave and poured some into her hands before smoothing it across his face and neck. His eyes remained on her face the entire time. When she dried her hands, he asked, "Any other regrets you be worried about, belle?"

She met his eyes for one moment, her fingers tracing along his smooth cheeks. She could feel her heartbeat pick up and her breath come a bit more quickly as his fingers began to massage her hips. "Just one," she whispered before she bent forward to place her lips on his. Within seconds, she was pressed hard against the bathroom wall, his mouth still hot on hers as he deepened the kiss. When he pulled back just enough to stare down at her, the reds of his eyes were almost glowing. He leaned the full length of his body against hers purposefully. "Don't tease a man, Leena," he growled in warning. "You been teasin' me plenty, and I don't have de patience for dis tonight." In answer, she kept her eyes locked on his as she moved her hands down to carefully untie the knot holding her robe closed, and then she let the material slip from her shoulders to pool on the floor. He seemed surprised, but that barely lasted a moment before he crushed his mouth down on hers again, lifted her into his arms in one smooth movement, and carried her into his room.

* * *

Having to watch his own back for so long had made Remy a very light sleeper, so he was fully awake the moment Jaleena slipped out of his arms and off the bed. Rather than make an awkward exit even more awkward, he kept his eyes closed, but he could hear her move into the bathroom to retrieve her robe and then tiptoe toward the door. He heard the rustle of material as she slipped her robe on and tied the knot. Then, he could hear the door open, a short pause, and then the door clicked closed.

He sat up in the bed to stare at the closed door for a moment and then turned his head toward the window. It was still dark outside but he could see a hint of color on the horizon. Dawn would be coming soon. He ran a hand through his hair realizing he had likely only had a few moments of sleep. They had spent most of the night reacquainting themselves with each others bodies, laughing about what had changed and what had remained the same. He chuckled to himself and murmured, "Well if dat be de last night of Remy's life, he can't tink of a better way to spend it." Then, he slid off the bed and began to dress for the coming battle.


End file.
